Nature Trail Nursery Park Road

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the nursery happy, settled and ready for their day. Children eagerly seek out enjoyable and well-planned learning opportunities in their nursery rooms. Babies settle in very quickly and build bonds with their key person. They explore their surroundings with interest. Pre-school children engage in a wide variety of opportunities based on their interests and next steps in learning. They are beginning to develop individual preferences for learning. Staff have high expectations and plan experiences that children find engaging, and which help to ensure they make good progress.

Children behave well and develop a positive attitude to learning. Staff greet families in a friendly manner, taking time to listen and share information. Staff have high expectations of children and are excellent role models. They treat children and each other with kindness and respect. For example, babies giggle as staff sing familiar nursery rhymes and tickle them gently. Positive relationships contribute to children's good emotional security, resilience and self-esteem. Children are kind and caring to one another, show respect during group games and are considerate of their friends. Children develop good levels of independence. They feed themselves, help to tidy toys away, and are well prepared for their move on to school.

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

• The leaders and management are knowledgeable about early years education. They deliver a curriculum that is informed by their understanding of the needs of the community and the children in their care. They have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The manager works closely with other professionals to ensure all families receive the support they need, so that children can achieve their full potential.
• Leaders complete supervision sessions for staff and hold regular team meetings. They have also recently introduced practice observations to review the quality of interactions between staff and children. However, this is not yet well embedded. The programme of professional development is not yet highly focused to support staff in further developing their knowledge and skills even further.
• Children access a curriculum that builds on their prior knowledge and interests. For example, staff follow children's interest in nature by going on walks to the local park. They look at the natural world together, singing and spotting animals to match to a picture. However, staff are not always clear or consistent in how to implement curriculum intentions effectively. For example, some staff do not model new words or simple sentences consistently to enable pre-school children to hear and learn new vocabulary.
• Children develop a strong sense of their local community. The setting has good links with local primary schools. Children become familiar with the environment during their settling-in sessions. This helps them to feel secure when they move to school. Leaders work closely with charities and in community events. For example, children support a local food bank and raise money for charities.
• Children behave well in the nursery and respond swiftly to staff requests. They are polite to one another and always demonstrate good manners. Children also visit a local care home and interact with the residents. This helps to develop children's understanding of the wider world beyond home and the nursery.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff bring children and families together to engage in events, such as the nursery weekend walk and supply pre-school children with uniforms. They keep parents informed about their children's progress. Specialised home learning bags are helping to build on children's early reading, self-care and physical skills at home. This ensures children receive the necessary support for their ongoing learning.
• Staff place a sharp focus on children's physical development. Older children independently meet their own self-care needs, such as washing their hands before they eat. They help themselves to a drink of water and learn about the importance of having a healthy diet. Leaders use additional funding well. They provide learning opportunities for children that they would not usually experience. These include weekly dance sessions delivered by professionals. There is a selection of resources to promote oral health to children and parents.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the programme of professional development to support staff in further developing their knowledge and skills
• strengthen curriculum implementation to consistently meet children's next steps, with particular focus on communication and language development.