Muddy Boots Nursery School Parkstone

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have developed a curriculum that focuses on the prime areas of learning. Children gain fundamental skills, such as confidence and independence, preparing them well for their next stage of learning. Outside, older children confidently ride bikes, practising their stability and balance. Younger children develop their hand muscles, as they manipulate dough. Staff use the word 'stretchy', helping to widen children's vocabulary. Younger children relish the opportunity to experiment with water and flour. They playfully scoop, pour and use their hands to mix and feel the various textures. Babies enjoy the musical instruments, listening to the sounds they make. Staff repeat, 'shake, shake', as they hold the maraca, helping babies to develop their understanding of language. Staff foster children's imaginations when storytelling, using various props. This helps children to develop their focus and promotes their early literacy skills, in preparation for school.

Staff help children to begin to understand their feelings and emotions. They encourage children to indicate how they are feeling. For example, during 'colour monster time', children match coloured faces to feelings, such as blue to represent feeling sad. This helps children to label their emotions. Staff encourage children to take turns and children use their manners well. Staff set consistent expectations and implement rules, such as 'kind hands'. Children use their 'green rules' when on outings, helping them to understand the expectations in different environments.

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

• Staff implement an effective curriculum. They plan bespoke activities that they know children will enjoy, based on their individual interests. For example, older children enjoy racing cars down ramps and babies explore the outside. Staff know what they want to teach children next. However, on occasions, some staff interactions with children do not precisely focus on the intended learning outcomes. This means, at times, children's learning is not maximised, particularly their emerging communication skills.
• Leaders and staff gather detailed information when children start. They offer home visits and complete speech and language assessments, helping to form strong starting points for children. Staff monitor children's learning well, ensuring children who require early help receive timely and effective support. Leaders work closely with external professionals, such as speech and language therapists and health visitors. This helps to begin to close gaps in children's learning. Leaders form good communication with other settings children attend, providing continuity in their learning. Children make good progress.
• Staff support children's early maths skills from an early age. For example, babies enjoy number rhymes and staff hold up their fingers to represent the number. Older children use vocabulary, such as bigger and smaller, as they throw balls into different sized buckets. Staff encourage children to begin to recognise numbers, as they fill up measuring jugs with water. This helps children build their understanding of early maths concepts.
• Staff teach children how to be healthy. They implement the settings 'eat the rainbow' initiative, encouraging children to try a range of different fruit and vegetables. Children develop their independence, as they wash their hands and attend to their own toileting needs. Children enjoy dancing, jumping and running, developing their bigger physical skills. They have access to fresh air daily, supporting their physical health and well-being. Children begin to recognise how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Leaders place focus on engaging with the local community, to enhance children's learning beyond the setting. They enjoy trips on public transport, walks, beach visits and exploring local woodland. The setting promotes intergenerational connections, inviting older members of the community to special events, such as song times. This supports children's social skills and widens their knowledge of the world.
• Staff report positive levels of well-being and leaders value the staff team. They offer regular training to staff to further develop their knowledge and skills. For example, recent participation in the 'Early Years Development Programme' has impacted positively on children's early maths skills. Enthusiastic leaders cascade training to staff during staff meetings, to ensure everyone keeps their knowledge and skills up to date.
• Parents value the caring relationships that staff develop with the children. They comment on the supportive staff and value the guidance they receive, such as with potty training. Staff share regular updates and photos through daily conversations and online platforms. Parents positively comment on receiving the learning focuses, helping them to support children's learning at home. They enjoy attending events leaders and staff organise, for instance sports day.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff interactions further to support consistently high-quality interactions for all children, helping to build on their emerging communication skills.