Lower Earley Day Nursery and Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive confidently and happily separate from their parents at the door. They are eager to explore the activities that staff have set out for them. Children enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery. They develop confidence and make good progress. Staff prioritise supporting independence and older children demonstrate good personal care skills. Furthermore, they readily serve their own food and pour their drinks at lunchtime. Staff praise their success, building children's confidence and self-esteem. Effective key-person arrangements ensure that all children are well supported and their individual needs are met.

Overall, staff plan a curriculum that is fun and reflects the knowledge about the children to help them progress. Children under two years explore many sensory experiences in a room that is cosy, calm and stimulating. Staff encourage toddlers to explore and be inquisitive as they explore familiar objects in the role-play kitchen area. Pre-school children are encouraged to use their language to make predictions as they listen to familiar stories. They behave well and are familiar with the daily routines and expectations for their behaviour. When children struggle with their emotions, staff are quick to try and help them to resolve minor issues. Children play well together cooperatively. They form close attachments with staff. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

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

• There have been some recent positive changes to management and the staff team. The manager has a clear vision of what she wants to improve further to make practice even better and ensures the setting provides good-quality inclusive care and education.
• Staff know their key children well. Generally, they plan activities that build on children's knowledge and interests. Although at times, staff do not target the learning needs of the younger pre-school children as effectively during group activities. For example, children have many opportunities to practise mark making and develop their muscle strength for early writing. However, staff focus on formal writing before considering if it is developmentally appropriate for all children.
• Children under two years benefit from a homely environment. Staff chat softly to younger children and positively encourage them to babble, copy words and develop early communication skills. Children demonstrate their feelings of security and comfort in staff's care. Children are resilient, confident in their abilities and take risks in their play.
• Overall, staff offer a broad curriculum and have clear expectations of what children can learn. However, some areas of the environment are not as inviting, cosy and fully resourced as others to fully support children's enjoyment, learning and imagination.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are valued, respected and supported well in the nursery. Staff ask parents to provide key words in their home language to support children's transition to nursery. Staff use clear language and visual prompts to help children learn English. They teach children about a range of cultures and celebrations that are relevant to the children who attend the nursery.
• Older children confidently make choices and decisions about their play, which helps to extend their ideas. Children enjoy supervised access in the resourceful outdoor area. As a result, they can climb apparatus, negotiate space, balance and take part in imaginative play. These opportunities help to enhance children's learning within a safe environment.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. Parents receive information about their child's learning and progress and how they can build on the knowledge and skills further at home. Parents speak highly of the nursery staff and in particular the positive changes they have noticed in recent months. Staff communicate with parents through an online app and give face-to-face feedback each day.
• The manager values and recognises staff's strengths and prioritises their well-being. She meets with staff regularly to discuss their practice and the progress that individual children are making. The management team are proactive in monitoring staff practice and work alongside staff to effectively model practice. However, staff training is not yet fully embedded to precisely focus and sharpen the curriculum implementation and help raise the quality of teaching to consistently higher levels. Staff say that they enjoy working at the nursery and feel very supported.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review small-group time focused activities to ensure that all children are engaged in the learning at their level of understanding
• review some areas to create an environment that fully inspires children's learning and supports their thinking and imagination
• identify further curriculum training that has specific focus on the areas of learning that need to be strengthened in order to sharpen the quality of education even further.