New Moon Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very settled and happy. They confidently use resources to create games and role play. For example, children create a train and make train tickets to go to the beach. Babies feel safe and secure as they reach for farm animals and musical instruments. They move their bodies to the sounds and babble along to songs. Children have good language skills and recall past events. For example, they remember when clothes were sewn for their travelling alien. They excitedly decide to create shorts for the alien's new holiday adventure.

Staff are extremely supportive. Children enjoy taking risks as they balance on beams outside or use hammers inside. Staff guide the children through risky play and support excellent physical skills. Babies and children thrive and develop strong independence skills. They self-serve at lunchtime and access their drinking bottles by themselves.

Partnerships with parents are excellent. Parents are fully included in their child's development. They comment on the care that staff provide, explaining that they go 'above and beyond'. There is a strong link with the community. Children very much enjoy visiting the local care homes with staff. Children and staff deliver gifts to the local fire station as a thankful gesture.

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

• Staff are very confident and have a good knowledge of the areas of learning. They are consistent with the range of experiences available to children. Staff know the children very well and their next steps in learning. They explain how they will support children's development.
• Partnerships with parents are very good. For example, through 'selfie week' and parents' evenings, staff share their thoughts on children's next steps in learning. These excellent partnerships ensure that children's learning continues to develop at home. For example, the nursery offers use of a lending library.
• Children are patient and confidently wait their turn. Babies babble along to 'Old McDonald Had a Farm' while waiting to choose an animal teddy. Some older children are very expressive with their language. They encourage others to join in with their role play, and recognise that they need four chairs for their friends on the train. Children engage in their chosen activity and focus for long periods. For example, they draw pictures from a design on a tablet computer or roll cars down gutters.
• Children thrive in their physical development. Babies cruise around furniture and toddlers use the stairs well, supported by staff. Children enjoy football and forest-school sessions.
• Relationships between staff and children are very strong. Staff nurture and support children. They are friendly and welcoming. Children feel safe and settle quickly.
• Some children are beginning to show resilience. However, leaders and practitioners do not consistently make best use of opportunities for children to understand their feelings and how their behaviours impact others.
• Children are very confident and build independence skills throughout their time in the nursery. For example, they feed themselves and access resources. Staff are clear about the reasons for their choice of resources that are available to children. They create 'awe and wonder' moments that ignite children's curiosity. For example, children enjoy learning about the planets in space. There are lots of opportunities for children to take risks in their play, indoors and outdoors.
• Children connect with their local community. This includes visits from a police officer and collecting donations for the food bank. Leaders have developed a link with a nursery in South Africa. However, children do not have the depth of understanding of this to fully support their learning. Children are not provided with sufficient opportunities to learn about their own unique cultures, before they can understand those of others.
• Leaders take swift action to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They make referrals for extra support and professional involvement. Leaders have an inclusive approach for all children in the nursery.
• Leaders are highly ambitious and have a strong vision for the nursery. Practice is continually evaluated, and leaders include parents' and staff's views. They work well with the staff, and this is evident by the high morale of the team. All staff feel thoroughly supported by the staff team and leaders. Leaders' goals for the nursery are well embedded.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children to understand their feelings and how their behaviours impact others, developing a sense of right and wrong
• further develop children's understanding of diversity so it reflects society and children understand that they are unique.