Mindful Nurseries - Addiscombe

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm, inclusive and nurturing environment, where children arrive happy and eager to learn. Leaders adapt the settling-in procedure to meet the needs of individual children and families. This helps children build strong relationships with their key person and other staff and supports their emotional well-being from the start. Children are happy, safe and secure in the setting. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve and plan effectively for their learning, considering their individual interests and abilities. As a result, children develop positive attitudes to learning.

Staff ensure that children eat a healthy and nutritious diet and regularly access outdoors. This contributes to their good health. Staff place a high focus on developing children's physical development and independence. For example, children use different tools, such as safety knives, to prepare their snacks and build on their muscle movements.

Leaders and staff are skilled and identify gaps in children's learning. They meet children's unique needs well. Leaders work closely with other professionals to provide targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and regularly review their progress. This helps children achieve their full potential. All children, including those with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language (EAL) make good progress from their starting points. They learn necessary skills, including independence and confidence, in preparation for school.

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

• Leaders are passionate about their roles and continually reflective. They strive to provide high-quality care and education for every child. Staff talk highly about the support they receive from leaders. Leaders skilfully identify training needs and provide training opportunities for staff to benefit their professional development and the children in their care. For example, recent training about behaviour management equipped staff with the skills to manage children's behaviour positively. Leaders monitor staff's practice and ensure they are consistent with their approaches. Children develop an understanding of what is expected of them and learn to share and regulate their emotions.
• Staff know children well and provide opportunities for them to participate in a range of activities to build on their learning. Children enjoy circle time, listen attentively and join in with singing rhymes. This contributes to their communication and language development. There are some occasions during activities when staff ask children questions and do not provide enough time for them to think and answer. This practice limits children's thinking and communication and language development.
• Staff share books with children and talk about stories and characters. Children develop a love for books and build on their early literacy skills. They confidently make marks in preparation for early writing.
• Staff are positive role models. They are kind, caring,and attentive to children's individual needs. Children learn to respect each other's differences.
• Some children are multilingual and learn EAL. However, they have limited opportunities to use and hear their home language in the setting. This means that their communication and language development in their home language is not supported as much as possible.
• Staff introduce early mathematical language as children play. For example, they talk about sizes and different shapes. Children learn to count in sequence and recognise numerals.
• Staff skilfully build on children's learning. For example, when they make play dough, staff plan different learning intentions for each child. Children experience different textures, mix colours, press and roll the dough, and cut out shapes as well as share and take turns.
• Children learn about good hygiene routines and know when and why it is important to wash their hands.
• Babies receive lots of cuddles and reassurance, when needed. Staff ensure babies have lots of space to move around and they progress fast in their physical development.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to take part in gardening. Children talk about where their fruit and vegetables come from, look after their plants and watch them grow.
• Parents talk highly about the care, learning and support their children receive. They regularly discuss and plan for their children's learning together with staff. Staff encourage parents to share children's learning from home and this helps to provide continuity in children's learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on current opportunities for children to hear and use their home language in the setting
• offer plenty of time for children to think and answer questions to further support their thinking and communication and language skills.