Moorevilla Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in a happy and engaging environment. Knowledgeable staff support them as they participate in engaging experiences. Babies explore the outdoors. They develop their small muscles as they pick natural resources to stir in a bowl as they role play. Toddlers learn how to manipulate objects as they build with wooden blocks. Pre-school children develop their pencil control at their viewing station as they draw what they can see in the nearby fields. Children are developing skills to prepare them for school.

Staff welcome children as they arrive. Children are eager to start their day. They enjoy showing members of their family the exciting experiences they have while at the setting. Throughout the nursery, children display confidence in their emotional and social development. Older children are confident communicators who express themselves well. Children demonstrate that they feel secure. They are well mannered and follow instructions. Staff support children with taking turns and sharing resources. This helps children to learn about compromise and respect for others. Children play a key role in their learning. Staff follow children's lead, which helps them to stay engaged in experiences.

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

• The manager and leaders have implemented a strong curriculum. They assess the children to help ensure that learning intentions meet the children's specific needs. This supports all children to make good progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work closely with parents and outside agencies to put interventions in place to swiftly support children's learning. This helps close gaps in children's development.
• Overall, interactions with children are of a high quality. Staff sing regularly with babies. They extend children's vocabulary by adding additional words to what children say. Older children are asked thought-provoking questions. However, this is not always consistent. Occasionally, staff do not challenge children to display a higher level of thinking and use their problem-solving abilities.
• Children demonstrate a love of books. They excitedly join in with story time. Staff use expression as they read, which engages children in the stories. Younger children snuggle up to staff in cosy areas to look at books. Parents say after borrowing books from the lending library that their children are showing a greater interest in books at home. This helps to build on children's early literacy skills.
• Mathematical development is strong. Staff weave mathematics into everyday experiences. For instance, staff encourage children to count the other children as they line up. They talk to children about prepositions during mealtimes, commenting that their cutlery is on top of their plate. Older children develop number recognition as they print numbers in play dough. This helps to develop a secure foundation for learning, as staff build upon what children already know.
• Children engage well in their learning. Staff deploy themselves effectively to be able to interact with children to enhance their learning. Children show enthusiasm to explore the environment and seek out learning experiences. This demonstrates that children are developing positive attitudes to learning.
• Independence is promoted well. Children learn skills to support their self-care. They independently put on their coats, pour their own drinks and serve their own food. Staff encourage children to play a vital role in their learning. They give them the opportunity to make their own choices and follow their own curiosity. This gives children a sense of belonging.
• Staff provide experiences for children to learn about their feelings. Children put photos of themselves in emotion jars and describe how they feel. During the day, some children recall how they felt in the morning and express how this has changed. Children are developing the ability to express their emotions.
• Partnership with parents is strong. The manager regularly holds stay-and-play sessions for families. Parents state that this is a great way to be able to see first hand what children are experiencing at the setting. Staff work closely with parents when children move to the next room. This helps to create smooth transitions so that children settle quickly.
• The manager and her team have high expectations for children. She is extremely proactive and passionate about children achieving the best possible outcomes in their care and education. Training is selected based on the needs of the children. For instance, staff who work with younger children are trained in safer sleeping procedures. This helps to ensure that children's needs are well met.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance teaching skills so staff consistently provide children with opportunities, through interactions, to use their problem-solving abilities.