Music Box Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this home-from-home environment. Their views and wishes are wholly accounted for and contribute positively towards the curriculum delivered. For instance, older children lead the 'children's council' to discuss topics of importance, such as growing more vegetables. Furthermore, children learn about democracy as they vote for their favourite book.

Children's learning is fun. For example, staff use props when reading children familiar stories, such as an 'air pump', which they use to represent the 'big bad wolf's' 'huff' and 'puff'. This positively influences children's outstanding behaviours and involvement in their learning.

Children and their families are at the heart of all decisions made. For example, staff invite visitors into the setting, such as a 'nurse', to talk to children about their health and hygiene. Staff have high expectations of children. For instance, they focus on the skills children need to succeed in the Reception year, such as a strong pencil grip to help children to self-register their attendance.

Outdoors, children of all ages and abilities play happily and safely together. Children are extremely sociable. For example, they discuss the ingredients they need to make a salad, such as 'lettuce'. They independently use a knife to cut up their fresh vegetables as they pretend to make a variety of meals, such as a Polish pasta dish called 'pierogi'. This promotes children's understanding of healthy lifestyles.

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

• Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager has strongly focused on reducing staff workload and increasing morale. This means staff receive copious amounts of guidance and training to ensure they continuously deliver exceptional practice. For example, they attend 'reflective training' to strengthen the self-evaluation process, including how they conduct peer-on-peer observations. Staff say that they feel extremely supported to build on their expertise.
• Children's relationships with others are worthy of sharing. A wealth of time and consideration is given to promote a culture of 'thoughtfulness'. For example, children give handmade gifts to people in the community to show them their appreciation, they donate books to those less fortunate and they contribute towards food banks. These rich experiences teach children respect for people and communities beyond their own.
• Teaching highly motivates all children to celebrate what makes them unique, including those who speak English as an additional language. For instance, children celebrate their birth name as they learn about Polish traditions.
• Additionally, parents who speak English as an additional language read to children in their home language. These first-class experiences teach children about culture and promotes inclusion and belonging.
• Staff heavily focus on children's emotions. They use strategies such as 'co-regulation' to help children to calm down. This means children practise their breathing techniques with staff before discussing their feelings. Children show an excellent awareness of their own feelings and empathy for others. For example, they discuss how the mother pig feels when her little pigs leave to build their own home.
• Children accumulate an abundance of knowledge through stimulating activities. For instance, staff plan experiences to embed children's key vocabulary and recap on their previous learning. As a result, children use a wealth of language to engage in in-depth conversations with others. They use words such as 'first' and 'second' to explain which floor of their house their bedroom is on.
• Parent partnership is exemplary. Staff provide parents and carers with frequent opportunities to engage in their children's learning at the setting. They share a wealth of information with parents and gather their views. This informs planning and helps to continue children's learning at home. Parents say that they are 'overwhelmed with their child's nursery experience, including the support from staff'.
• Children's attendance is of the upmost priority. For example, the manager provides parents with incentives, such as flexible childcare and training opportunities, which help to get them back into work. This promotes the best possible standards for children's attendance to ensure they reach their full potential.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve the best outcomes because staff work exceptionally well together and with other professionals. Staff are highly skilled to identify potential setbacks in children's learning. This helps them to plan effective strategies for early intervention. For instance, staff focus on children's personal development to reduce the impact dummies have on their speech.