Northfields Liversedge

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at nursery. They arrive happily, and they confidently separate from their parents at the door. They are eager to start playing with their chosen activity. Children form positive relationships with staff and each other. Babies snuggle into staff and seek to sit close to them. Staff offer plenty of cuddles and warm interactions. This helps children to feel safe and secure in their care. Children independently explore their environment and do so with confidence.

Staff know their key children and their interests well. They reflect this in the activities they provide. For example, role-play resources are made available for children who enjoy imaginative play. Children have freedom to choose if they want to play outdoors. Older children develop their strength and balance as they weave around on the balance bicycle and roll balls down tubes. They build their core muscle strength when they work together to pull heavy rope. While indoors, babies and toddlers practise their skills as they climb the steps and slide down the ramp.

Children show increasing independence. For example, babies and toddlers learn to feed themselves, and the oldest children serve their own meals and manage cutlery well. Children learn to manage their own personal care needs and understand the importance of washing their hands before eating and after using the toilet.

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

• Managers reflect well on the service they provide and look for ways to continuously improve. Staff have ongoing opportunities to attend further training. They benefit from regular meetings with managers to ensure they feel supported in their roles. However, recent monitoring of teaching has not been precise enough to identify where some staff need further support and guidance. For instance, not all staff's knowledge of the curriculum intent is clear, such as what they want children to learn from the activity planned.
• Staff understand that some children need additional support with their learning. They work with external agencies to identify children who need help, and they work with experts to provide support where required. Children who need help with their learning can access this quickly. However, on occasion, staff do not understand the strategies to use to support all children to join in. This means children do not always achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Children develop language skills. They listen to stories and enjoy looking at books on their own. They regularly hear words and repetitive phrases, such as through rhymes and singing songs. Older children express their good ideas clearly. Staff help them to develop a wide vocabulary that supports them to speak in sentences.
• Staff working with older children and toddlers support their development in mathematics. For instance, they count from one to five and reinforce this learning by asking children to show this by finger counting. Staff model mathematical language well and provide ample resources and opportunities for counting, visually recognising numbers and learning concepts, such as 'heavy' and 'light'.
• During group teaching activities, staff do not consistently make sure that they manage the environment in a way that supports children's learning as effectively as possible. For example, background noise levels are sometimes too high for children to hear what is being said to them. This sometimes distracts them from concentrating and channelling their attention on the activity.
• Staff help children to learn to manage their feelings and behaviour. They adapt their teaching effectively to support children at different stages of their emotional development. Older children respond well to the responsibilities that staff give them, such as helping to set up for lunchtimes. Children learn what is acceptable and how some behaviour can upset and hurt their friends.
• Parents speak positively about the care their children receive. They say their children are happy to attend and are developing well. Parents say they receive detailed information about their children's care and learning progress. They say they appreciate the help and support they receive from staff to ensure that they are able to access funding they are entitled to.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop teaching skills further so that all staff consistently follow agreed strategies to help those children who need additional support achieve the best possible outcomes
• build on staff's understanding of the curriculum intent so that they fully understand what skills and knowledge they want children to gain from experiences
• review the organisation of group teaching activities to enable children to concentrate and hear what is being said.