Little Learners at Greenhall

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children warmly as they arrive at the nursery. Children separate from their parents with ease. Staff create a nurturing and welcoming environment, where children are given lots of praise and encouragement to support their self-esteem and confidence. As a result, children are happy and settled. Staff get to know all the children well. Successful settling-in processes help staff to find out valuable information that assists children to settle quickly into nursery life. Staff build lovely relationships with children and provide a range of activities to engage them and support their learning. For example, babies sit and sing songs, such as 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat', adding actions as they join in enthusiastically, laughing and smiling.

Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. Children benefit from a very well-thought-out curriculum that reflects all areas of learning. Staff plan interesting activities and provide appropriate next steps to build on what children already know and can do. Children are eager to join in with these enjoyable activities, which means that they develop positive attitudes to learning. They learn about healthy lifestyles and enjoy daily opportunities to go outside for fresh air. Staff teach children about diversity and help them to understand what makes them unique.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Leaders are committed to providing the best possible care and education for all children. They lead a well-qualified team of staff who share their vision. Leaders are dedicated to continuous improvement and provide training and professional development opportunities for staff. The impact of this is beginning to be evident in staff's developing knowledge and in children's outcomes.
• Staff role model positive behaviour with the children. Children are well behaved. They know what is expected of them and, therefore, can follow the routine. Children use good manners, are kind and considerate to each other and are beginning to learn to take turns and share resources.
• Children enjoy the many opportunities to develop their physical skills, both indoors and outdoors. Children access bicycles to practise their pedalling and balancing skills, which supports their core muscle development. Children develop fine motor skills by using tweezers to move objects from one bowl to another.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive very good support. Staff know the children incredibly well and recognise how best to support their development. They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure all children make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff actively look for ways to develop children's understanding of the world around them and of communities and families beyond their own. They broaden children's experiences by providing activities that reflect different cultures and world events, such as creating their own Olympic games.
• Staff teach children about healthy living and emotions. For example, children use happy and sad face masks to show how they are feeling, and pre-school children talk about how they feel about moving to their new school. This supports children's mental well-being.
• Staff generally recognise the need to develop children's independence and self-care skills. Staff provide opportunities in the daily routine for children to practise these. For example, toddlers confidently feed themselves at snack time and older children pour their own drinks and serve themselves snacks. This helps children to secure their independence.
• Overall, staff support children's communication skills effectively. With babies, they role model good language skills, speaking slowly and clearly so babies can repeat key words. With older children, staff encourage children to share their views and ideas. However, at times, some staff ask limiting questions that do not challenge and extend children's thinking skills further.
• Staff work well with parents and keep them involved and up to date with their children's learning. Parents receive regular photos and observations through an online app and are invited to regular progress meetings at the nursery. Staff also share ideas to support children's learning at home. Parents confirm that their children achieve well, and they value the good support they receive from the friendly and approachable staff team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with more time to think and respond to questions and challenges, to extend their learning even further.