Meadowview Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All staff at this nursery are welcoming and caring. They develop close relationships with children and offer them lots of reassurance. This makes children feel happy and safe. Staff work successfully with parents to support children's emotional well-being. This benefits children effectively, especially when children are settling in. Staff teach children to use polite words, such as 'yes', 'please' and 'thank you'. This teaches children good manners. Staff praise and encourage children, which raises their self-esteem and confidence. Children respond positively to this and behave well.

Staff plan a curriculum which supports children's learning well, especially those children who speak English as an additional language. They talk to children and read stories to them throughout the day. This gives children opportunities to develop and extend their vocabulary. Staff ensure that all children have plenty of fresh air and exercise. They support babies who are learning to crawl and walk. Older children receive guidance as they practise their coordination and balancing skills on stepping beams. Staff teach children about how to care for plants, such as growing tomatoes that they can eat. Children learn where food comes from and the world around them. They are motivated and show a positive approach to their learning.

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

• The dedicated and long-standing manager continues to provide children with high-quality care and education. She works hard to support staff, which contributes to staff retention at the nursery. This promotes a consistent approach to practice, benefiting children's learning and emotional well-being effectively.
• Staff praise the manager who consistently supports them personally and professionally. They appreciate the range of training opportunities, such as one aimed at enhancing their knowledge in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps them to move children forward in their learning.
• Partnerships with parents and local schools are a specific strength of the nursery. Parents are unanimous in their praise of the 'amazing' levels of care and education their children receive. This strong partnership has a positive impact on children's learning at nursery and at home.
• Staff design a rich and diverse curriculum to support children in making significant progress. For instance, children who were previously struggling with their speaking skills are now able to use words to express themselves. However, at times, staff do not use their observations of children's learning to plan and sequence the curriculum. As a result, there are occasions when staff offer activities which do not align with what children should be learning next.
• Staff want children to succeed in their education. However, they do not always set high expectations for children's learning. For example, at mealtimes, staff carry out tasks that children, particularly the older ones, can do on their own. This includes serving themselves and tidying up after they have finished eating. This does not fully encourage children to develop their independence skills to the highest possible level.
• Children enjoy messy play activities. Babies and older children show high levels of concentration as they mix paints to create marks. Older children have lots of fun pouring and emptying containers during water play. They express their delight by splashing water and making squeaking sounds. These experiences help to develop children's creativity and imagination.
• Staff take children to the library, green spaces and shops to help them to become more aware of their environment. Additionally, they invite parents to the nursery to share their skills, such as reading books or playing musical instruments with children. This collaborative approach helps to enrich children's learning experiences.
• Children's behaviour is good. They demonstrate this by taking turns and sharing their toys. Children play alongside or with their peers, which promotes their social skills.
• The manager welcomes the views of parents and other professionals to help evaluate their practice rigorously. She has introduced several initiatives to support children's learning, such as the 'lending library'. This promotes children's love of reading.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use observations more effectively to plan and sequence activities that focus on what children need to learn next
• support staff to promote children's independence skills to the fullest extent possible.