Magic Moments at Tudor Way Childrens Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this inviting and welcoming nursery. On arrival, they receive a warm welcome and lots of smiles. Staff continue to create a positive and jolly atmosphere throughout the day. This results in children who laugh a lot and show that they thoroughly enjoying being at nursery. Staff understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on some children. They have focused on supporting children's emotional and social development. As a result, children's behaviour across the nursery is good and they have the skills they need to focus and learn from the activities on offer.

Staff have a clear idea of the overall curriculum intent. Children benefit from very well-planned and delivered group times. Staff introduce these very well to children and they have a very positive impact on children's learning, especially their developing social, communication and literacy skills. For example, younger children are confident as they join in with well-known songs. Older children have been taught the skills they need to sit and listen effectively at these times. They enjoy and learn from the opportunities to talk about their feelings and opinions. They are also developing a love of books and an understanding of how stories are structured.

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

• The manager and staff provide a safe and inclusive nursery experience. All families and children are equally welcome, regardless of the challenges they may bring with them. Staff are very skilled at supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They adapt the curriculum to meet their needs and work closely and effectively with other professionals. Children make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff support children's speaking and listening skills very well. Staff working with babies introduce children to simple sounds and words. Babies become increasingly confident to make their needs known because staff respond swiftly to the gestures and sounds they make. Toddlers and older children have opportunities throughout the day to enter into enjoyable conversations with staff. As a result, they build a broad and useful vocabulary.
• Children show that they are learning well from the well-taught curriculum for mathematics. Older children are very confident when solving number problems and will be starting school with a very secure understanding of numbers and other mathematical concepts.
• Staff fully consider the learning needs and stage of development for children when planning focused learning experiences. However, there is not always the same attention to detail when providing resources for children to freely access. These do not always provide enough challenge to fully capture children's interest or fully extend their learning.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to play imaginatively. However, opportunities to explore craft materials and tools are less freely available or easy to access. This limits children's chances to develop this aspect of their creativity.
• Staff understand the importance to children's good health and well-being of plenty of energetic physical play. They use the outdoor space really well to encourage children to run, climb and balance. Younger children enthusiastically use wheeled toys. Staff play running and chasing games with older children and by doing so are acting as good role models. They show the fun to be had in being physically active. Babies are supported very well as they learn to crawl and walk.
• Staff meet children's care routines with kindness and respect. This has a positive impact on children's well-being as well as ensuring they get the sleep, food and exercise they need to stay healthy. Staff gently sooth babies to sleep and offer warm smiles and chat as they change nappies.
• Parents are full of praise for the staff. They trust the staff to take good care of their children. Parents feel totally supported by staff as they navigate the challenges of parenthood. These strong partnerships support children's progress and welfare very well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to improve the planning and delivery of activities that children can freely choose to access, to ensure these provide consistently high levels of challenge and interest to children
• develop the curriculum for creative development so children have more access to experiences and resources that encourage them to express their own ideas using a range of materials and tools.