My Playroom Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate positive relationships with staff as they warmly greet them with a hug as they arrive at the nursery. All children settle quickly and engage well with the range of activities that staff provide. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and, as a result, children behave well. They understand the rules and follow instructions. Children know where to put their aprons after they have finished using them and help staff to clean the table after mealtimes. Staff support children to share and take turns. Consequently, children are kind to their friends and often invite them to play and share equipment. Staff continually give children praise for following instructions and persevering with activities.

Children are becoming increasingly independent. They serve their own breakfast and carefully pour milk into their cups. Children politely remind their friends to pour slowly and not put too much into the cup. Staff patiently wait as they give children time to put on their own shoes. They kindly encourage them to swap shoes onto the correct feet. Children enjoy learning about the world around them. Staff provide gardening activities which encourage children to use their small-muscle skills to carefully pick up and plant carrot seeds. Children work together to fill up and carry a watering can.

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

• Children make good progress from their starting points in learning because staff plan an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. Staff place a strong focus on children becoming ready for school and having the confidence to thrive in their next stage of learning. Staff regularly assess children's progress and confidently talk to children about their interests and things they enjoy doing. Staff know what they want children to achieve in their learning before they start school. However, on occasion, children's planned next steps in learning are not always developmentally appropriate or precise enough to help them make the best possible progress.
• Staff promote children's physical development. Children develop their balancing skills and strengthen their large muscles as they enjoy yoga sessions. Staff teach them how to pretend to be different animals by making shapes with their bodies. Children proudly announce, 'I'm a tiger', as they complete a pose. Staff support children to safely navigate climbing apparatus in the garden and teach them how to come down the steps backwards.
• Staff support children with their personal hygiene and developing a healthy lifestyle. They ensure children wash their hands before and after eating food. Staff support children to learn about their oral hygiene and the importance of teeth cleaning. Children enjoy activities, such as making pretend teeth from play dough and using toothbrushes to remove dirty marks. Children demonstrate their prior learning as they confidently talk about which foods are healthy.
• Staff teach children new vocabulary, such as 'zebra'. They continually narrate children's play which helps them to learn new words and concepts. However, at times, staff do not fully understand how to use appropriate questioning techniques. They ask children several questions in quick succession which confuses children as they are not sure which question to answer. Additionally, at times, staff ask questions which are too difficult, and children don't understand how to answer.
• Staff support children with their mathematical development. They encourage children to count at every opportunity. Children demonstrate their skills as they count how many bowls are needed for snack time. Staff support children to understand when their cup is empty, half full, or full. Children compare sizes as they talk about the pretend teeth they make with play dough.
• Staff promote a love of books and reading. They read books in an exciting way which helps children to remain engaged and focused. Staff use various props to help develop children's understanding of stories. For example, when reading a story which mentions a bathtub, they ask children to find the bathtub in the doll's house.
• Parents are happy with the care that staff provide. They say that staff communicate regularly with them about their child's daily interests. Staff provide parents with information about their child's development and the progress they have made. Parents feel supported with ideas to further develop their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review children's planned next steps in learning to make sure they are always precise and developmentally appropriate to help children make the best possible progress
• support staff to develop their questioning techniques to give children more time to think, understand and respond to questions.