Monkey Puzzle Purley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and enjoy their time at nursery. Staff provide a warm and welcoming greeting on arrival. The nursery has an effective key-person system in place which supports children to feel safe and secure. Staff are attentive to children's needs, providing cuddles and offering reassurance when needed. Staff exchange information with parents which helps them to support children's well-being throughout the day.

Staff plan and provide a broad curriculum which sparks children's interest and imaginations. This helps them to build a range of skills and experiences to prepare them for school. Staff ensure the curriculum is tailored to provide extra support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff engage in conversations as children play and extend their learning. For example, babies enjoy exploring with paint and mark make with pens. Toddlers hunt for Easter eggs in shredded paper and fill buckets with sand to make birthday cakes. Older children make dough and problem-solve when it becomes too sticky.

Staff manage behaviour well. They promote independence and encourage good manners. Children listen well and follow instructions. They learn to be kind and share. Older children learn the difference between making 'good' or 'sad' choices.

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

• Staff gather detailed information when children first start which helps them to plan a curriculum. This builds on children's interests and extends their experiences to support their learning and development. Staff use observations and ongoing assessments to track all children's progress and identify any gaps in learning. Referrals for extra support are made swiftly to ensure all children, including those with SEND get the help they need.
• Staff place a high priority on children's communication and language. They babble with babies, use single words and encourage back-and-forth interactions. Staff enthusiastically sing and share stories and teach children new vocabulary. They ask meaningful questions and give children time to think and answer. Children are encouraged to share their ideas and extend their sentences.
• Parents speak highly of the staff and the service the nursery provides. They describe staff as kind and caring and state their children are happy and are making good progress. Parents receive daily updates on their children's routines, interests and activities. However, not all parents are aware of their children's next steps in learning or have ideas shared to help them continue learning at home.
• Staff teach children about the importance of healthy lifestyles. Children eat healthy snacks and meals and learn about including vegetables in their diet.
• Staff encourage physical activities, like yoga, to extend core strength alongside extra-curricular activities. Children enjoy the garden space to ride scooters and balance on bucket stilts which aid their coordination. Babies learn to climb the stairs and manoeuvre their bodies to enjoy the slide.
• The leaders and staff work in partnership with a range of professionals to support children's individual needs and learning. Staff support children with SEND exceptionally well. Funding is used to purchase equipment to develop children's skills further. Staff work closely with parents to ensure children are receiving the support they need and follow care plans effectively. The leaders liaise with local schools to support transitions.
• Children learn about a range of cultures and religions as they celebrate different festivals. Staff teach children about similarities and differences and about what makes them unique. Staff promote independence and self-help skills. They regularly count with children to promote their understanding of numbers. However, staff do not always extend other mathematical concepts with younger children to further develop their understanding.
• Leaders support staff well-being effectively and have recently introduced an 'employee of the month' initiative. Robust recruitment procedures are in place and staff engage in frequent supervision sessions. This ensures all staff understand their roles and responsibilities. All staff access training to add to their knowledge and improve their teaching skills. The leaders monitor staff practice, track children's progress and seek views from parents to help them make further improvements.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure parents are aware of their children's next steps for learning and ideas are shared to continue learning at home
• strengthen teaching of early mathematical concepts such as shape, space and measures to ensure the younger children develop an understanding as they play.