Northolt Park Children's Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are exceptionally happy and enjoy their time in the calm and well-organised nursery environment. They settle quickly on arrival, enjoying the rich and varied range of opportunities to develop and promote their individual learning. Toddlers build incredibly warm and trusting relationships with staff, who engage closely and sensitively with them. For example, staff offer lots of cuddles to toddlers who are settling into nursery routines. Children are incredibly confident and approach staff for comfort and reassurance. This demonstrates that they feel safe and secure in the nursery setting. Pre-school children develop excellent relationships and have high levels of respect for each other. They independently enjoy imaginative play as they corporate very well with their peers while pretending to be firefighters in the outdoor role-play area.

Children who speak English as an additional language have a wealth of opportunities to hear and use their home language in their play. For example, children benefit from meaningful conversations with staff who speak their home language. They show that they value and respect differences and similarities and are developing an awareness of people, families and communities beyond their own. All children make good progress from their starting point.

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

• Leaders ensure the curriculum is well planned and implemented to benefit all children. They recognised during the pandemic that children had fewer opportunities to be active. Therefore, they redesigned the curriculum to focus on developing children's physical skills.
• Staff know the children well. They complete assessments effectively to identify what children need to learn next, and so plan relevant activities. Young children admirably work on their mark-making skills, using chunky pens on paper; older children beam with pride as they impressively draw pictures of their families, practising their early writing skills.
• Parent partnerships are good, and parents report they are very pleased with the setting. They say that staff are helpful and approachable. Staff offer advice to parents to support children's learning at home.
• Children have regular access to learn in the outdoor play area. Staff motivate children to keep active. Children immensely develop their large motor skills through riding bikes and using a range of apparatus to support their physical skills.
• Leaders ensure staff meet the needs of individual children well and are proactive in identifying if children need a specific level of support. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged receive a high level of support from dedicated and caring staff. They work well with other professionals to provide appropriate support and continuity in learning for all children. Staff use additional funding successfully to support individual children's developmental needs.
• Staff are positive role models and clearly communicate to children what is expected of them. Children's behaviour is outstanding. All children help to tidy away toys enthusiastically.
• Healthy meals and snacks are provided, which take account of any special dietary requirements or allergies. Children develop increasing independence skills. Younger children are supported to feed themselves, and older children make choices and use cutlery to cut up their food. Staff encourage good hygiene procedures. As a result, children learn why it is important to look after their oral health, and wash their hands regularly.
• Staff focus on children's communication and language development effectively. They skilfully adjust their communication style through simple instructions or expert questioning. Children delightfully count and name the dinosaurs in their dinosaurs' land. Children learn skills to prepare them for their next stage in learning, and the move to school.
• Leaders continue to develop and embed systems for reflecting on and improving practice, including through identifying staff training needs. Staff receive regular training to support their ongoing development. Although the manager has systems in place to coach and mentor her team, the supervision process does not fully support all staff to achieve the highest level in their performance. For example, on occasion, some staff do not ensure that the shy, quietly spoken children are consistently and fully involved and engaged in activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the coaching and supervision of staff to further develop their performance, particularly in using more effective methods to encourage quieter children to become fully involved and engaged in the activities provided.