Newhall Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed into this friendly nursery. They build bonds with staff who they seek out for comfort and reassurance. Staff are warm, kind and caring towards children. They often sing songs, which helps to comfort children when they are distressed. Children explore the wide range of activities on offer with support from staff. They are curious as they explore textures and sensory materials. Children's communication and language skills are well supported. Staff frequently model new words to children as they play. For example, as staff encourage children to feel the texture of hay in a farm-themed tray, they say 'crinkle, crinkle' as they crunch the hay. This helps to increase children's exposure to a wide range of vocabulary.

The nursery is well resourced in both the indoor and outdoor environments to ensure children experience all areas of learning each day. Children develop their small- and large-muscle skills while making marks using pens and pencils. They independently practise how to put lids on pens, learning how to do this successfully through perseverance and exploration. Staff encourage children to be independent. Children are supported to use spoons to feed themselves and learn to wash their own hands before meals.

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

• Managers and leaders design a structured, yet individualised, programme of activities to help children learn new knowledge and skills. This is built on over time as staff identify children's next steps of learning and development. Children are supported to access a broad and balanced curriculum which follows their interests and builds on what they already know and can do. Children, including those receiving additional funding, make good progress.
• Children develop an interest in books and enjoy listening to stories read by staff. In addition, they borrow books from the setting to read at home with their family. Staff provide activity packs and resources to help children continue their learning at home. These were also provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Children are supported to make good progress in mathematics. This is because staff use mathematical language throughout activities and conversations. For example, staff sing songs that use numbers and positional concepts. Staff know how to differentiate and adapt activities to support each child's individual development level.
• Staff teach children to understand the importance of being healthy, including oral health. They invite dentists in to visit and provide oral health activities. Staff are ambitious when supporting children who speak English as an additional language. They learn and use common words and phrases in children's home languages.
• A well-established key-person system supports children to form strong relationships with staff. Parents and their children are invited in for settling-in visits prior to starting at the nursery. During these visits, parents discuss important information with their child's key person. This helps staff to settle children successfully. However, staff do not always adapt the nursery routine to consistently meet children's individual needs.
• There is an effective programme of supervision and professional development in place for the manager and staff, which focuses on the learning and development needs of the children who currently attend. Staff feel valued and are pleased with the opportunities they have to further their own knowledge, skills and responsibilities.
• Partnership working is strong. Leaders support smooth transitions through links with the feeder school and local childcare settings. They also support children well as they make transitions through the nursery by working with parents and planning for children to make short visits to their new rooms over a period of time.
• Parents speak positively about the nursery. They say that 'the staff couldn't be more committed to our children'. They appreciate the effective communication methods that ensure they have a great insight into their children's learning and how they can support this at home. Parents talk about the progress their children have made at the setting, particularly those children who speak English as an additional language.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the daily routines to make sure they consistently prioritise the needs of the children.