Moorside Nursery LTD

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children relish attending this welcoming and vibrant nursery. They receive a warm welcome from friendly staff before quickly setting about their nursery day. Leaders have developed strong settling-in procedures. These ensure children feel very safe and secure at the nursery from the off. Staff create strong bonds with their key children and act as excellent role models. Children reflect these attitudes in their own behaviour. They happily take turns, share their toys and enjoy playing alongside one another.

Leaders have developed stimulating learning programmes that effectively meet the needs of the children who attend. These programmes carefully consider and build upon the children's experiences outside of the nursery. There is a strong focus on speech and language development and developing the children's self-esteem and resilience. These skills help the children to move on to school with confidence.

Leaders ensure that inclusion is at the heart of everything they do. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well by skilled staff. Developmental delays are picked up quickly and swift referrals are made to the relevant agencies for additional support. This work helps all children make very good progress at the nursery.

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

• Children are supported to develop a love of reading and literacy. They enjoy spontaneous story times with staff and create their own stories with small-world toys. Leaders choose books to focus on to support children to learn new words and widen their vocabularies. Children are currently enjoying an Eid-themed story which reflects some of the children's experiences at home. It helps other children understand more about different faiths and cultures.
• Children are making very good progress in their speech and language development. They benefit from an early intervention speech and language programme. Staff have recently been trained in effective strategies to support language development. For example, staff model very good English, present information clearly and regularly sing with the children. Staff strengthen children's understanding by using visual aids and gestures.
• Overall, children are focused and engaged in the routines of the day and the activities planned for them. For example, children demonstrate motivation and excitement when they go out and play in the well-equipped nursery garden. However, at times, focused group activities are not planned well enough to consider children's needs. For example, children sit for a group circle time and then go and sit at tables to wait for their snack. Children then struggle to remain focused and engaged in their learning.
• Children are learning to be independent. They wipe their noses, dry their hands and manage their lunch boxes independently. They persevere when putting on their coats and enjoy making choices in their play. These skills help children to move on to school with confidence.
• Children enjoy expressing themselves through the arts. For example, staff support children to mix different coloured paint to make brown. Children enthusiastically choose colours and mix them to see what happens. They adjust and amend as they go. They are not afraid of making mistakes. Children participate in imaginative games. For example, they role play sailing a ship in the playground and shriek as they spot 'big fish' in the ocean. Children are confident to share their unique ideas and know their voices are heard.
• Leaders are dedicated and committed to ongoing development. They consistently monitor and observe staff, offering ongoing feedback to support the continuous improvement of practice. Leaders provide daily briefings, organise weekly meetings and deliver a wide range of in-house training. All staff are working towards qualifications that reflect their personal interests and demonstrate a drive to improve their knowledge and understanding of child development.
• Parents think that the nursery is 'fantastic'. They describe the staff as 'brilliant' and 'wonderful'. They appreciate the ongoing support they receive from the dedicated leaders. They report how much progress their children are making in their speech and language development, including children with SEND. They provide feedback on how fast their children have settled into nursery life and how much their children enjoy attending the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how group times are organised to ensure children are able to remain engaged and focused in their learning.