Mapledene Childrens Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders, staff and parents all work exceptionally well together to provide children at this setting the highest levels of care and education. All know what children need to learn next and why and successfully implement a tailored and consistent approach to supporting children to achieve the next steps in their learning. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make the best possible progress from the outset of their time at this nursery.

Staff expertly support children's well-being. They help each child to feel valued and emotionally secure with exceptional skill, supporting children with any changes in their lives with great sensitivity. For example, they thoughtfully provide children with photo books containing photos of the nursery for when children are going on holiday or moving to a new room. Staff skilfully help children to maintain a sense of familiarity during times of change and to understand what to expect next in their lives, reassuring children and supporting their emotional needs with immense care.

Staff across the nursery create a calm and stimulating environment for children to flourish. They consistently share their expectations with children, such as reminding them of the 'rules' during daily routines, to help them know how to engage and interact with others positively. Children, including the youngest children, show a deep understanding of the consequences of their behaviour. They know how to behave responsibly and have excellent conduct.

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

• Leaders have a very clear vision for children's learning and staff fully share this. They focus their teaching on helping children to acquire the key skills they need for their future learning, including their move to school, such as prioritising their emotional, social, independence and language skills. Pre-school children confidently and articulately talk with staff about the new school they will be moving to, express how they feel about the change and know what to expect. Children's emotional needs are met exceptionally well and they are exceedingly well prepared for starting school.
• Children develop excellent communication skills. All staff use their in-depth expertise to support children to express their feelings and their needs, such as consistently using sign and gestures alongside speech to help all children express themselves. Children master the use of gestures alongside words and all children capably communicate in an inclusive and enabling environment.
• Partnerships with parents are exemplary and successfully support children to have high-quality education and care at home. Leaders and staff provide excellent support to parents to help give them knowledge of how to further support their children at home. For instance, they provide workshops for parents to attend, such as related to potty training and how to cook inexpensive healthy meals for their family. Staff and parents work together extremely well to help provide children with consistency in their learning and care.
• Children with SEND are supported with great expertise. Staff work exceedingly well with other professionals involved in children's care and development. They gather in-depth information about children's needs and create a tailored and consistent approach in meeting their needs, such as providing one-to-one support for children who need it. All children make excellent progress.
• Staff support children's understanding of diversity extremely well. Children learn about similarities and differences in each other and each other's families and their individuality is highly valued. For instance, staff read children stories and sing songs that reflect children and staff's varying backgrounds to help deepen children's understanding of others. Children develop high levels of mutual respect and are proud of what makes them unique.
• Leaders keenly and actively gain feedback from others, such as parents and the local authority, to help evaluate the provision and continually strengthen the nursery's care practices and quality of education for children. Staff's professional development is highly focused and effectively supports them to develop their expert teaching skills and maintain outstanding outcomes for children. For instance, staff attend training to develop their knowledge on how to support children's language skills, helping them to boost children's communication development further.