N Family Club Twickenham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the nursery and receive a very warm welcome from staff. They settle quickly and explore their environment freely. Children have access to a wide range of high-quality toys and resources, inside and outside, which keeps them motivated to play. For example, younger children enjoy building train tracks and exploring sand. Children's behaviour is good. They take turns and show respect for their environment. The positive relationships that children build with their key person and other staff support their emotional well-being effectively.

Children respond positively to staff's high expectations for their learning. They are using their increasing communication and language skills to express themselves. For example, older children tell one of the inspectors confidently, 'I'm building tractors with my friends'. Children enjoy using their senses, such as when cutting up and tasting a range of fruit. They show good levels of curiosity and engagement. There are daily opportunities for children to be outside, which supports their various physical abilities. Some of the activities that children enjoy include painting on the big easel and playing in the mud kitchen. Children are learning to negotiate the space safely as they run around outside.

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

• The manager seeks, and acts on, the views of parents, to help evaluate the quality of the provision. Since joining the nursery, she has made swift and effective improvements to benefit children and their families. For example, she has increased parents' involvement in sharing what their children can do and achieve. This has enhanced the consistency of children's care and education.
• Parents and carers are unanimous in their praise of the nursery. They say they 'can't speak highly enough' of the staff members, who are welcoming, caring and approachable. Parents find that they are fully informed about all aspects of their children's learning and development. This strong partnership has a positive impact on children.
• Staff work closely with a wide range of professionals, such as a speech and language therapist and hospital staff. They share relevant information to ensure a consistent approach to supporting children's learning. Staff also build a working partnership with people in their local community, which raises children's understanding of the world around them.
• Staff observe and assess children's learning regularly. This helps children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, to make good progress from their starting points. Staff would benefit from further support, to help them maximise the information gained, to ensure the best possible outcomes for all children.
• Staff sing nursery songs and number rhymes with the children. There are occasions, however, when staff do not make use of opportunities to incorporate numbers and mathematical concepts into their activities. This prevents children from further developing, enhancing and extending their learning in this area.
• Staff help children to behave well. For example, they encourage children to listen and manage age-appropriate tasks. As a result, older children take responsibility for their own personal needs, such as toileting. Younger children, with staff support, are learning to pour their own drinks, which aids their independence skills effectively.
• Children learn words in other languages, such as French and Spanish, which promotes their understanding of diversity. For instance, during an activity, staff introduce some animal names and encourage children to repeat them. They also use simple sign language to help emphasise certain words to children.
• Staff morale is high. They enjoy working at the nursery and feel well supported by the management team. Staff receive regular coaching and training to develop their knowledge and skills. For example, staff working with the younger children have increased their knowledge of how to identify and refer those who might need specialist support. Staff working with the older children have learned strategies to promote children's early reading skills in preparation for school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to support staff to make effective use of observations and assessments, consistently planning more coherent learning experiences to enable the best possible outcomes for all children
• build on good practices in order to develop, enhance and extend children's mathematical skills.