North Leeds Community Nursery (NNI)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children create strong attachments to the nurturing staff at this setting. Managers support children and their parents. They offer flexible settling-in sessions to help children to be settled before they begin attending. Children confidently explore the environment available to them. Babies independently access baskets of musical instruments. They shake rattles and smile as they create different sounds.

Children learn about the different seasons of the year. Toddlers plant sunflower seeds in pots and take them home to watch them grow. Pre-school children create portraits of flowers from the nursery garden. Children choose which vegetables to grow in the nursery's sensory garden. This helps children to develop their understanding of the life cycles of living things.

Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their independence. Children put on their coats and do up their zips ready for outdoor play. Children serve their own food and drink during mealtimes. They problem solve and use towels to wipe down slides that are wet from rainwater, to ensure that they are safe. Children are given tasks, such as to collect all of the plates at mealtimes. This helps children to develop a sense of achievement and develop pride in their roles.

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

• Staff consistently model positive relationships at this setting. They demonstrate good manners and how to be respectful to others. In turn, children learn to be kind to each other. They listen to each other's views and share resources well together. Toddlers wait patiently for their turn with musical instruments, with staff's support. Pre-school children thank staff for their food at mealtimes. Children create strong relationships with their peers.
• Children access a well-organised outdoor provision. All children have the opportunity to develop their gross motor skills. Pre-school children safely manoeuvre around the garden area on balance bicycles. Babies use ride-on vehicles to develop their balancing skills. The setting provides waterproof clothing so that children can access the outdoor space in all weather. Children are encouraged to climb ladders and balance across a wooden bridge with support. Staff praise children for their effort. This helps to build children's confidence to try new things.
• The manager has a good understanding of the skills which children need before they move on to the next stage in their education. She uses her knowledge to plan the setting's curriculum model. Pre-school children develop skills to be ready for school. For example, they learn to recognise their name on their belongings. However, occasionally, the youngest children are not always given the opportunity to further their learning. For example, when babies explore books about animals, staff do not then extend this to broaden children's current knowledge.
• Overall, children's good health is promoted at this setting. Children are provided with a nutritious, balanced diet. They enjoy fresh fruit as a snack. Children access the outdoor provision regularly throughout the day for exercise. However, staff do not discuss the key messages of a healthy lifestyle with children or their parents, such as the importance of brushing their teeth. This does not give children the knowledge to make decisions to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Managers regularly review practice at this setting. Staff are given opportunities for additional training to develop their current skills. For example, staff who show an interest in extending their knowledge of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are given extra training to become a special educational needs coordinator. This helps to boost staff's morale and improves outcomes for children.
• Staff create strong relationships with parents. They regularly invite parents into the setting. Staff share children's next steps in learning to ensure continuity of learning at home. Managers support parents by offering flexible sessions that suit each family. Parents comment that the setting is an 'extended family' and is 'accommodating' to their child's needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the curriculum to ensure that it challenges children of all ages
• use teaching opportunities to extend children's knowledge on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.