Mildmay Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly greeted on arrival by kind, caring and nurturing staff. They are excited and eager to explore the highly inviting and stimulating environment that is centred around their needs and interests.

Relationships shared between children and staff are superb. This contributes significantly to children's emotional security. Staff know children very well. They reassuringly encourage them by using the children's home language and English. Children enjoy learning about springtime and growth. They enthusiastically make chicks using a range of tools. Staff skilfully guide children to recall how the chicks hatch. They imitate the sound chicks make and sing together the 'Chick Chick' song.

Inclusive practice is embedded to a very high standard. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, thrive and make excellent progress. They acquire strong skills for when they move to school. Children play exceptionally well together and demonstrate their understanding of behavioural expectations. They initiate conversation with their friends. For instance, they check on their individual plants growing in large clear cups. They say, 'Mine is getting bigger, let's water them.' They water and spray their plants together.

Children learn about keeping healthy. They show this understanding as they role play and say, 'The puppet has a smelly mouth, it needs to brush its teeth.' They discuss with staff the up and down motion to clean them and the foods that are good for their teeth.

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

• Children's love for reading is greatly supported. Staff create cosy reading areas that children use independently and with friends. Children refer to the books next to activities on display. They access a range of books, including in dual languages. This supports children to demonstrate excellent recognition of letters, sounds and early reading skills.
• Children engage in enriched opportunities to develop their gross and fine motor skills. They have fun jumping on the balance steps. They confidently use the climbing equipment and run around the garden. Children use large paint brushes to paint the walls and draw with chunky chalks. This supports the children to develop good pencil control, as they neatly write their names on finished work.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children show excellent levels of control. They know when to ask for help. They cooperate with each other and take turns. For instance, when a child wants to play with a toy that another child is already playing with, they picked up a timer and calmly told their friend, 'It's my turn when the sand runs out.'
• Staff give high priority to enabling children to develop excellent levels of independence and self-care. Children make choices and help themselves to toast, spread on the butter precisely and confidently pour their drinks. Children are encouraged to take care of their own personal needs, washing their hands before snack. They put on their coats, take off their shoes and change into Wellington boots when accessing the mud area. This promotes their self-awareness and self-confidence.
• The passionate special educational needs and disabilities coordinator works closely with colleagues to identify children's specific needs. Staff work in collaboration with parents and external agencies to plan targeted support. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. They ensure all children have full access to the curriculum, such as differentiating activities and adapting spaces for teaching in small groups. Children benefit from high-quality, one-to-one care and support from staff who understand their individual needs exceptionally well.
• Parents report on the 'great' communication from all the staff. They receive support with routines for good sleep and healthy lifestyles. Staff provide ideas and activities to extend children's learning at home. Parents comment on staff being kind and caring. They add that the special educational needs and/or disabilities provision is 'fantastic'.
• The quality of teaching is superb. Staff have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn. Teaching is personalised to meet the individual needs of the children. For instance, staff prepare a plan for adapting the activity for younger children who may need support. This leads to children making excellent progress in all areas of learning.
• Children enjoy joining in excitedly with rhymes and songs that include numbers and letters. Staff purposefully engage children in meaningful conversations to maximise learning. Children are successful communicators, confidently expressing their thoughts and ideas.
• The manager is extremely dedicated to making sure staff are well supported in their roles. All staff have personal development reviews in place and attend training to extend their skills further. Regular supervision and staff meetings are held. Staff express they feel completely supported in their role.