More Grace Day Nursery and Out of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop strong bonds with their key person and all staff. Younger children enjoy comfort from staff when they are unsettled. Older children are enthusiastic to engage in play. All children move around the nursery making choices about what they want to investigate. Older children engage with others, discussing and creating make-believe games, including going shopping or visiting the hairdressers.

Overall, behaviour is good. For example, while outside, children eagerly anticipate the next part of an adventure as they run to different parts of the garden with their friends. On occasion, however, they do not always receive consistent opportunities to manage their turn taking independently. Outside, sand timers are used to help them organise and take responsibility for sharing equipment, but this is not currently extended inside the nursery. This means when inside, children rely more on staff to help them manage sharing rather than taking responsibility themselves, as they do outside.

Children lead their learning; staff facilitate this by providing a curriculum centred around their interests. Older children show that they are developing problem-solving skills. For example, in their role play hairdressing salon, they pick up a hair clip and examine it, pressing different parts of the clip as they try to open it. They are confident to seek help and when shown once, they persist in repeating the technique, pressing the release button until they are sure they remember how to do this independently.

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

• Staff encourage children to use their prior knowledge. For instance, during story time, they share what they know about how shadows are made. Children name the 'sun', 'clouds', 'dark' and 'torches'. Staff are quick to praise them for their 'good thinking' and 'sharing ideas'. Staff use intonation while reading stories and encourage children to take part. The effect on children is positive, as they become confident communicators willing to share their ideas.
• Leaders and staff recognise the impact that the COVID-19 has had on children's learning, specifically in relation to early socialising, speech and language development. Staff provide opportunities for children to communicate and develop social skills that will help in future learning and their move to school. Children enthusiastically engage in adult-led activities, such as snack time where they chat about making healthy choices to support growth and protect their teeth. Very young children learn to socialise with others as staff take them into the main room to see older children playing.
• The special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and the local authority to provide a suitable learning environment. In addition, staff gather relevant information from parents when children start. This enables them to identify children's starting points and next steps for learning. For example, when very young children and those unable to communicate verbally arrive, staff work as a team to support speech development. They encourage children to follow and use single, then simple sentences and provide opportunities for them to listen to and follow increasingly complicated instructions. These interactions assist children to hear and build an increasing vocabulary that is in context. As a result, children make good progress.
• Parents report on how happy their children are at the nursery. They say that children are making good progress, as they share songs and stories they have not learned at home. Parents receive regular updates regarding learning and development from their child's key person. They express that leaders and staff are approachable and provide support and information as required.
• The leadership team provides staff with good support to ensure they can carry out their roles and responsibilities well. Staff report that they are supported and have regular meetings to discuss their well-being and training needs. However, this programme of professional development is not yet sharply focused on driving the quality of teaching to the highest level, to ensure strong consistency across the staff team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff consistently use the strategies that have been implemented, to support children's good behaviour
• build on current practice and seek further ways to help all staff develop first-rate teaching skills.