Natural Choice Nurseries Ltd - Charfield

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Parents say children build a real connection with the caring staff at this nursery. They say that staff know the children so well and that they are good at meeting the children's needs, challenging them and making sure children are safe. Children's emotional development progresses very well. They learn to understand their feelings and emotions through conscientious work completed by their key persons and staff working with them. Staff offer timely, sensitive and perceptive support for children that need extra help to understand expectations and follow safety boundaries. They liaise closely with parents, helping children through transitions and changes at home, asking parents what can they do together to support their child.

Staff's well-formed progressive curriculum ensures that children achieve and progress their skills on their journey through the nursery. They understand what is expected from each age group. Key skills are introduced age appropriately for babies, then built on for toddlers and perfected in pre-school. For example, babies learn to feed themselves, and staff offer suitable equipment to help them do this. Toddlers persevere to pour their drinks and serve themselves fruit at snack time. Pre-school children do so much, dishing up their lunch and clearing items away afterwards. Staff offer them useful tips to help children manage challenges, and children tap the serving spoon to get the food into their bowl independently. Babies and children gain much needed lifelong skills and positive attitudes to learning. They show confidence in their own abilities and successfully gain skills they will need for their move on to school.

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

• Staff take the time to speak clearly to children to help their growing language skills. Older babies babble and then copy staff's modelled speech. Toddlers learn colours and start to count. Older children vote on the board games they want to play, learning to listen to and respect each other's views. Staff model using a recipe as they join children's imaginative cooking, extending children's ideas and introducing new words and concepts.
• Babies build their physical skills effectively. They relish negotiating the little stairs and ramp on their indoor climbing frame. They explore the ball pit and excitedly toddle after bubbles. Toddlers build with large-scale items, investigating balancing foam bricks and small planks. Pre-school children use balance bikes and test their skills on the slope in the garden, learning to follow safety rules such as wearing a helmet and adjusting their speed effectively.
• Key persons observe and assess what each child can do and outline suitable next steps for what children need to learn next. They closely outline any gaps in children's development, working promptly with parents to get children any additional help that they need. For the older children, staff link with the schools that children are moving on to, helping to support a smooth transition. They liaise with some of the other settings that children currently attend but not all. They do not consistently gain information to inform their planning and provide a consistent approach for children across all aspects of their lives.
• Children gain very useful dexterity and refine their coordination in fun activities. They copy staff's modelling of techniques, rolling and shaping play dough and using tools such as cutters. Staff get down to children's level and explore paint with them, getting messy and inspiring children to have a go. Children paint staff's hands and then their own, excited to make the handprints like staff do. Staff also empower children to explore in their own way. Children mix flour and water and add sand as they play outside. They gain confidence and add this to blocks, fascinated to see these stick together to make a tower.
• Staff offer useful group times to encourage children's interactions, social skills and communication. During group circle times, older toddlers are encouraged to think about and discuss the weather or learn about the days of the week. Older children learn about their health as they listen to and discuss a story focused on oral hygiene. Staff also lead targeted small-group times to help close gaps in children's development. However, occasionally, staff do not thoroughly plan their adult-led experiences or adapt activities fully to ensure that children's involvement and learning are supported as much as possible.
• Leaders evaluate nursery practice and work to improve and enhance what they provide for children. They flexibly work with families, gaining their views and feeding these into changes to practice. There are clear processes for staff to share their ideas and request items to enhance the provision for children. For example, staff working with the toddlers carefully considered children's exploration outside. They then arranged to have picnic benches added to give children extra areas to sit and have their snacks and for tabletop activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend links with all the other settings that children attend, gaining information to inform planning and help provide a consistent approach for children
• enhance the planning and adaptation of activities, consistently extending children's involvement and learning as much as possible.