Northfield Quaker Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop strong relationships with staff at this nursery. Staff take interest in what children do and get to know them very well. They embed well-established routines and support children to play together to ensure they feel happy and safe in their environment.

Children engage well with the interesting activities that are planned for them. They enjoy participating in forest school, where they learn how to make a fire. Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe around the fire. For example, children learn to walk around the outside of the space and use long sticks to hold marshmallows, which they toast over the fire pit. Staff and the forest school leader ask questions that promote children's thinking skills. They encourage children to think about what will help the fire to burn and how to put it out. They listen to children's suggestions and praise them for their ideas.

Staff understand and implement the curriculum successfully. They have clear intentions for what they want children to learn. They provide children with a wide range of activities which are designed to broaden their experiences. For example, children develop an understanding about how things grow and learn about the different parts of a plant. Staff encourage them to draw on their senses as they observe roots in the soil and smell the growing flowers.

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

• The curriculum is ambitious for all children and has a clear focus on preparing children for their next stage in learning. Leaders and staff know children well and provide opportunities that support them to be confident and independent. For example, children are assigned jobs when it is time to tidy up, such as sweeping the floor. This helps them to develop a sense of responsibility.
• Children make choices in their play, and staff interact with them to support them to build on what they know and can do. This helps children to make good progress across all areas of learning. However, at times, staff do not consider when to follow children's lead and allow them more time to engage in their chosen activities. Consequently, children do not always benefit from the opportunities to become highly engaged in their play and learning.
• Children are provided with opportunities to learn about themselves and the diverse world they live in. Leaders arrange for external providers to visit the nursery. They teach children about different languages and share songs from around the world. This helps children to develop a sense of identity. However, on occasion, staff sometimes use language such as 'silly' to respond to children's actions. This does not fully support them to develop a positive sense of themselves or promote their self-esteem.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff identify gaps in children's development and act swiftly to put support in place for them. Leaders pay privately for a speech and language therapist, who visits the nursery to support children who have delays in their communication development. Staff work with professionals to devise targeted plans that help all children to make progress in their learning.
• Children behave well. They are reminded to share and take turns with their friends. Staff support children to play cooperatively as they distribute resources out between children. Children invite their friends to play with them and show an understanding of how their behaviour affects others.
• Leaders monitor staff practice intently. They meet with staff regularly and discuss how they can improve their practice with children. Leaders devise a training analysis which informs how they support staff to develop their own knowledge and skills. They have a good oversight of the nursery and ensure the experiences provided for children are continually improving.
• Leaders have developed relationships with other settings. Through a professional network, they share ideas of how to support children and enhance learning experiences for them. When children move on to their next stage in learning, leaders and staff ensure that they share relevant information about children to support a smooth transition.
• Parents are extremely complimentary about the nursery. They particularly value the support they receive from the staff team. They mention feeling like they belong as a family and their children are happy to attend. They receive regular communication about their children's experiences and their current stage of development. Staff share ideas of how parents can support their children's learning at home and provide information about local services that may benefit families.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently use positive language to further promote children's self-esteem
• provide children with the time they need to fully engage in their chosen activities without interruption, to maximise their learning.