Maple Tree Nursery and Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at nursery calm, as staff welcome them warmly and by name. Children and staff form strong bonds. Staff are responsive to each child's individual needs. For example, staff are sensitive to the needs of babies and offer them physical and emotional comfort when they need it.

Developing children's communication and language is a priority. Children learn and practise these skills through daily story times, singing nursery rhymes and through quality interactions with staff. For example, children join in with keywords and actions to familiar stories, and others retell story events using props in the sand.

Children develop excellent social skills. They share real food as they pretend to make dinner in the role-play, home corner, and others hold hands as they explore the environment together. Children are happy as they play and learn with their friends. Children's behaviour is good. They are responsive to staff's regular reminders of behaviour expectations. For example, children walk when staff remind them to use their walking feet and smile when staff give them a sticker for good tidying up. Children are polite. They use good manners as they interact with staff at mealtimes, responding to questions using 'please' and 'thank you'.

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

• Children have daily access to the outdoor area. This means that they have regular fresh air, physical exercise and opportunities to learn about nature. For example, children practise their balance and coordination skills on beams, as others splash in muddy puddles. However, staff do not always fully engage in children's play when outdoors. This limits the learning opportunities for children when outdoors.
• Children have opportunities to experience early mathematics as they count plastic eggs and identify and order numerals. However, they do not explore these numbers in depth in order to develop a deeper understanding of number.
• Staff observe and assess children's learning regularly. They have an accurate understanding of what children can do and what they need to learn next. Staff plan challenging activities that take into account the children's interests. This means that gaps in learning are quickly identified and addressed.
• Staff work well with families and external agencies to identify children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure that they get the support they need. A sign language programme supports the development of essential communication skills, and a speech and language intervention targets children with delayed language. Staff support children to cope with transitions, process the day's activities and reduce sensory sensitivities, such as using pictures to organise the day and ear defenders to minimise noise.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are supported to communicate by staff who speak the same language. When a language is not spoken by staff, they learn keywords in the language to communicate with the child or translate information for parents.
• Children's dietary requirements are catered for well. Individual placemats state cultural or medical requirements. Meals served are well balanced and nutritional.
• Staff encourage children to become increasingly independent in managing their own care needs. For example, children hang their coat on their peg, find and put on their wellies and tidy away their own plates and cups after lunch.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents feel supported by the friendly and approachable staff who keep them well informed of their child's well-being and progress. Parents say that staff take into account the individual needs of the child. For example, parents say that their children make excellent progress with toilet training when the child is ready to do so.
• Leaders and managers understand and support the children, families, and community they serve. For example, they have established links with food banks, donated to clothes banks and fundraised for local charities.
• The manager has a good understanding of what quality teaching and learning looks like. Leaders monitor teaching and learning and identify areas for improvements. Leaders have highlighted mathematics as an area of development to ensure they offer quality learning and developmental experiences for children that continually improves.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities for children to experience early mathematics and develop a deeper understanding of number
• support staff to use more positive interactions and engage in children's play when outdoors.