Marian Mission Educational & Family Support Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this calm and welcoming nursery. They gain lots of confidence as they explore their environment, and their emotional well-being is given high priority. Children build strong relationships with their key person, who are responsive to their individual needs and interests. They know staff are close by if they need support. Staff plan a well-thought-out curriculum ensuring that they build on what children already know. For example, children develop their physical skills during outdoor play. They show good coordination and spatial awareness as they skilfully navigate the trikes and wheeled toys. Topics about healthy eating help children develop an awareness of their bodies and how to look after them. Children engage well with their friends and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They develop many key skills in readiness for future learning.

Leaders and staff understand the importance of keeping children safe and secure at the nursery. They have addressed previous breaches raised at the last inspection by ensuring that staff attend relevant training and are familiar with policies and procedures to promote best practice.

Since the last inspection, strategies to support children's behaviour have greatly improved. Leaders and staff use their knowledge from training to help children understand what is expected of them. Staff demonstrate high levels of patience and encourage children to take turns during play. They offer children lots of praise and encouragement, which has a positive impact on children's behaviour and contributes to their personal development.

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

• Since the last inspection, leaders and staff have worked hard to raise the quality of the nursery to a good standard. They have successfully rectified weaknesses to ensure that there are no breaches to requirements. Improvements to the curriculum, professional development of staff and overall safeguarding practice ensure that children's individual needs are well met.
• Supervision arrangements for staff have greatly improved since the last inspection. Staff now receive regular support and coaching to enhance their practice. They work extremely well as a team and have good opportunities for continuous professional development via training courses. For example, staff have improved their knowledge of the early years foundation stage requirements and how young children learn. This ensures that children's learning and development are promoted successfully.
• Changes to the learning environment, resources and curriculum on offer have improved the quality of education since the last inspection. Children show increasing independence as they follow their own interests during play. Staff regularly assess children's development so that they can plan the next steps in their learning. However, occasionally, staff do not always consider the organisation of activities for the younger children when they join the pre-school room with the older children. As a result, their learning experiences are not always fully optimised.
• Children of all ages develop a love and appreciation of books. They listen intently as staff read familiar stories with enthusiasm. Staff engage children in meaningful conversation and introduce new vocabulary, such as 'squeezing and 'rolling', as children model with play dough. This helps children to make good progress in their communication and language.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are well supported by staff. Staff appreciate and value the rich, cultural diversity and languages of the children who attend. Staff take time to learn key words to give children confidence to communicate in their home language. This contributes to raising children's self-esteem.
• Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are supported very well. Leaders and staff work closely with parents and external professionals to ensure that targeted support plans help children to achieve. Staff use visual timelines and the picture exchange system to support children's language development and to help them understand routines. This gives children a sense of belonging and helps them to feel valued.
• Children enjoy being creative and have ample opportunities to develop their early writing skills throughout the nursery. They use a variety of tools such as chalk and paint brushes to develop their coordination. Older children learn to recognise and write their own names on their work. Staff pay close attention to children's development to ensure they acquire the skills needed for their move to school.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Improvements to the key-person system ensure staff work closely with parents so children's care needs are consistently met. Parents speak highly of staff. They comment that they are happy and that their children are making good progress at the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider the organisation of activities in the pre-school room to fully optimise the learning experiences of younger children.