M & S Nurseries

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are valued as individuals. This provision reflects the diverse community that it serves well. Children learn about and celebrate what makes them unique. They benefit from remarkably warm and supportive relationships with key members of staff. Young babies are held close for a bottle feed, comforted by staff's eye contact and soothing voices. Toddlers snuggle up to familiar staff when they wake from their afternoon sleep, taking time to get ready to play again.

Staff play enthusiastically alongside children. This motivates children to join in. They plan appealing, challenging activities that, overall, help children to learn. Pre-school children use their imagination to create an animal using paint, glue and assorted paper. Two-year-old children learn about capacity and measuring when playing in the water tray. Babies giggle with glee as they roll a ball back and forth with staff.

Children learn to manage their feelings. Staff are sensitive to when children may need time to relax or a change in activities to support their good behaviour. Children develop empathy. Pre-school children check on how children who are new to the group are feeling. They develop friendships and help one another to feel safe and secure.

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

• The curriculum focuses on building on what children already know and can do. Overall, it is well understood by staff and helps children to learn. Staff give children prompts and suggestions during play. They teach them new skills and recap what they have already learned.
• Staff use their knowledge of child development well to help them to provide learning opportunities that are, generally, appropriate for the ages of the children. However, some activities intended to encourage early writing skills are too challenging for children. Staff do not always ensure that children have the prior skills and knowledge needed to succeed.
• Children achieve well in mathematics. Staff use opportunities that arise during activities and routines to include numbers, counting, shape and size. For example, children discuss 'whole' and 'half' while exploring play food. They count how many scoops of sand it takes to fill up a pot.
• Staff talk to children throughout their day. However, some interactions are less effective. Staff working with young babies sometimes use long, complex sentences and speak quickly. This means babies have less opportunities to hear words clearly and respond. Background music, in all rooms, distracts children and makes it difficult for them to hear staff clearly.
• Managers have clear plans in place to build on the good practice of the nursery.
• Staff are keen to keep up with their professional development. This has a positive impact on practice. They shared their learning of how to better support the emotional needs of young children. This has led to a reduction in frustrations among the children.
• Staff help children to become increasingly independent. Younger children learn to put on their indoor shoes when they arrive. Older children learn to manage fastenings, for example, when wearing role-play costumes.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported very well. Staff develop effective partnerships with parents and other professionals. Shared knowledge and understanding of each child helps to ensure that all children make the progress that they are capable of.
• Staff talk to children about the importance of a healthy diet. Children tell the inspector that eating 'fish makes your brain work and makes you big and strong'. They learn good hygiene routines, such as handwashing, that help to promote their good health.
• Parents describe the nursery as a homely environment, where they feel welcome and listened to. They commend staff for sharing plenty of information about children's learning. They feel assured that their children are safe and happy.
• Staff are respectful to children. They ask their permission, for example, to clean their face or take their photograph. They listen to children and use their views when planning activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children's developing language skills even more effectively, for example, by ensuring that they have plenty of opportunities to listen and respond to staff
• refine teaching to ensure that activities intended to support children's early literacy skills are consistently appropriate for their age and stage of development.