Next Steps Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are eager and excited to attend this enriching, safe and deeply engaging nursery. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning as they work in harmony to construct large wooden bricks. They display a thirst for learning as they learn to measure distance. They make marks on paper to indicate how far they have travelled as they jump off the climbing apparatus. Staff help children to think about how to build their own climbing apparatus. They encourage children to compare the size of planks, and allow them to test their theories as they hand the planks of wood up the ladders to children.

Children display exceptional small-muscle skills as they learn to safely handle and use woodworking tools. With staff's support, they carefully saw planks of wood, hammer in nails and use hand-held drills to make holes. They remember their manners as they say, 'Thank you' to their friends when they share the tools.

Children's communication skills are continuously developing. Younger children are constantly supported to build their vocabulary. Staff help children make connections as they speak. Babies babble during their play; staff listen intently and use their first words in sentences while introducing new words. Staff encourage older children to use a plethora of new words during their play. For example, when children help themselves to water, they learn the word 'hydrated'.

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

• The manager and staff have constructed a bespoke and unique curriculum that reflects children's interests. This is embedded securely throughout the whole nursery. Staff effortlessly build on what children know and provide additional knowledge. For example, babies are supported to learn a wide range of vocabulary as they play, which is constantly reinforced by staff.
• Children consistently show high levels of respect for their friends and the staff. They work together harmoniously while they play. For example, as children crouch down in the sandpit, they take turns filling a bowl with sand and stand back, saying to their friends, 'It's your turn now.'
• Staff constantly build on children's problem-solving skills. For example, children are helped to think about how they can get the water they have pumped through long pipes. Staff comment on what the children are doing and ask questions, such as, 'That looks like it might work' and 'What else could we use to collect water?' This results in children thinking critically and learning to problem-solve with increasing skill.
• The manager and her staff have received additional training on self-regulation. They understand how to support children's well-being. For example, when children enter the nursery and are unsettled, staff give them comfort and say to them, 'Are you sad?' This helps children to understand and acknowledge their feelings.
• Staff constantly promote children's independence. All children, including younger age groups, use their growing skills to scoop and serve themselves snacks and meals. They pour their water independently and drink out of open cups. The manager and her staff work together to encourage independence when children go for naps. Younger children learn to find their beds and get in when tired, soothing themselves to sleep.
• The staff support children to manage risks as they play. For example, children are helped to assess risks as they climb on the apparatus and jump onto the mat. Staff continually support children's risk management, saying, 'Is that mat far away?' or 'Do you think we could bring it closer?' This builds children's understanding of how to manage their own risk and gives them confidence in their play.
• Parents describe the exceptional care that their children receive at the nursery. They say that the incredible staff team are teaching children essential skills for life. Parents describe how children are making rapid progress in all areas of their development. The manager ensures parents have a voice. For example, she works with them to help update the nursery's policies and procedures. This ensures that parents are involved in decision-making and that they remain up to date with nursery changes.