North Stars Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have created a friendly and engaging environment for all children. Children arrive happily and settle quickly into one of the interesting activities. Staff have built strong bonds with all children, helping them to feel safe and secure. Staff know the children well and plan accordingly for their next steps. There is an ambitious curriculum for all children, which means they stay engaged and focused for long periods of time.

Staff provide emotional support for all children, reading their cues when they feel overwhelmed. For example, taking children to a quieter room for smaller focused play activities when this happens. Staff teach children some independence skills. They encourage children to hang their coats up and collect their name tags for self-registration. Staff gently guide new children as they learn this part of the routine.

Staff are positive role models for behaviour. Children are kind and calm as they play with their friends. Staff talk to children about their behaviour, helping them to understand that their actions have consequences.

Children enjoy fresh air in a spacious garden. They cook 'mud buns' in the outdoor kitchen, sharing what they have made. Staff are enthusiastic participants in children's learning, engaging them in conversation, narrating their play and looking for different ways to challenge them.

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

• Staff have planned a well-sequenced curriculum, that puts children's interests at the centre of their learning. For example, staff provide children with glue, scissors and boxes to support their love of junk modelling. Children enjoy making jewellery boxes. Children develop their creativity as well as strengthening their finger muscles as they use scissors carefully.
• Staff have developed a language-rich environment. Children enjoy engaging interactions with staff. For example, as children build train tracks, staff ask them 'How can we make it stronger or bigger?' This encourages children to use their problem-solving skills.
• Staff are professional and dedicated to providing the best outcomes for all children. The quality of education is good as staff have a secure understanding of children's development. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress.
• Children behave very well. Staff take a positive approach to behaviour management. For example, staff take children to the 'calm down corner' that the nursery has created in the garden. This gives children time and space to reflect on what has happened. Staff gently encourage children to talk about how they are feeling. Therefore, they naturally reach a resolution and feel that their views have been taken into account.
• Staff weave mathematical knowledge into all aspects of children's learning. For example, children spend time each week seeing how much their plants have grown using measuring tapes. Children are introduced to language such as 'bigger' and 'smaller'. Children learn about the concept of size as they build their early understanding of different mathematical skills.
• Parent partnerships are very strong. Parents comment very favourably about the setting. They feel that communication is strong and that their children have made good progress. The manager strives to involve parents in all aspects of their children's learning. For example, children take home a book bag with a reading book. This means that parents can be part of their children's learning. The manager also organises regular workshops to teach parents different ways to support their children's learning. This gives parents the confidence to help their children at home and continue their learning.
• Children's independence is generally well supported. For example, children take responsibility for putting on their coats and hats, and self-serving fruit at snack time. Despite this, staff do not always enable children to be independent in their self-care skills, particularly when using the toilet. Therefore, older children, in particular, are not able to develop the self-care skills they are capable of.
• The manager is very dedicated to her role. She is a huge advocate for supporting her staff team to be confident in their positions. For example, she role models best practice when delivering circle time. Staff gain from her many years of experience as they learn to develop their own practice. Furthermore, staff complete training in different aspects of child development, adding to their knowledge.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff's understanding of effective ways to promote children's independence as they develop self-care skills.