Manor House Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident and enjoy their time at the nursery. They build strong bonds with staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Younger children show staff which song they wish to sing as they point to pictures of key characters, such as 'Humpty Dumpty'. They stand proudly repeating the words they can remember. Older children confidently sing a range of songs, including some that help them learn to count backwards from five.

Children develop good independence skills from the start. They wash their hands on arrival and frequently throughout the day. Children learn how to take off their shoes, tidy them away and also use cutlery from an early age. This also helps them to develop coordination and muscle control. Children thoroughly enjoy playing outside. They ask staff to read stories and listen to them attentively when they do. Younger children repeat numbers as staff count how many spades of sand it takes to fill a bucket. They remember what they have learned and work out that 'three plates' plus 'one more' means that there are four plates in total. Children show respect towards each other and the staff and behave well. Older children remember the 'classroom rules' and respond quickly to gentle reminders from staff should they be needed.

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

• Since the last inspection, leaders have reflected on how they organise the nursery and what they intend for children to learn. They sought support from the local authority and implemented changes successfully. Staff have received training from the local authority and online to increase their knowledge and skills. Clear direction from leaders has helped to create a calm environment. Staff are deployed appropriately to meet all children's needs.
• Staff get to know children well from the start. They gather information from parents to help tailor settling-in sessions to support children's individual needs and interests. Staff understand how children learn and develop. They give children time to practise new skills and build their knowledge so that they remember it securely. For example, younger children know that fish fingers are rectangle shapes.
• Children learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. For example, they learn how germs may stick to their hands and why washing them using soap and warm water is important. Staff give children good explanations to help them to understand why cutlery that has fallen on the floor is not hygienic to use. The nursery provides a range of vegetable and fruit snacks, which helps children to learn about healthy food choices.
• Leaders ensure that additional funding some children receive is used appropriately to support what they need to learn next. For example, new outdoor equipment was introduced when staff noticed that some children were less confident in aspects of their physical development due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic lockdown. Children have made good progress, not only in their climbing and balancing skills but also in communication and language and taking turns with their friends.
• Developing a love of books and stories is central to staff practice. They ensure that children have ready access to books about the things that interest them. Staff enthusiastically respond to children's requests to read stories. For example, staff build on children's fascination with construction. They provide factual books that develop children's knowledge about construction vehicles and inspire their growing interest in books.
• Staff working with younger children are attentive and focused in helping children to learn. They talk to children as they play. However, they tend to ask lots of questions in rapid succession that test children's knowledge. In addition, staff do not always introduce new words to broaden their understanding and help them to develop a wide and varied vocabulary.
• In the pre-school room, staff tend to allow some children to dominate discussions and answer questions posed to small groups. This means that quieter children do not always have the opportunity to share their ideas and thoughts.
• Parents are very positive about the nursery and the staff. They state that their children are happy to attend and that they feel well informed about what their child is learning and what they need to learn next.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance further staff's understanding of how to help younger children develop and understand a wide and varied vocabulary
• improve small-group activities in the pre-school room so that all children have equal opportunities to share their thoughts and ideas.