Oaktree Pre-School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are very welcoming and friendly in their approach. They greet children enthusiastically as they arrive. Staff encourage older children to register their arrival to help them to recognise their name labels, and promote a sense of belonging within the nursery. Children find their friends and favourite toys, and settle quickly. This shows that children feel safe and emotionally secure.

Staff enhance all children's learning well, overall. They plan enjoyable opportunities, indoors and outdoors, to support the curriculum and to help children to focus on their learning. For example, staff use mathematical language to help younger children to learn about different mathematical concepts as they pour water through different-sized funnels. They provide props to develop older children's imaginary play and make sense of their world. For instance, children concentrate as they make pretend passports from craft materials and play imaginatively in a role-play airport. Staff encourage children to share their ideas and take turns in conversations to help them to become confident communicators. Children have a positive attitude to their learning and have lots of fun.

Staff are very positive in their approach and are good role models. For example, they remind older children about the rules in the nursery during circle time. This helps children to learn about how to keep each other safe and promote their positive behaviour. As a result, children show care and concern for each other and behave well.

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

• Staff have the same ambition for all children. They engage with parents and other professionals very effectively. This ensures that all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive targeted support. Although, when children engage in their own play, staff do not always recognise when to help all children to fully participate in opportunities available. At these times, this means staff do not always extend children's learning experiences.
• Staff frequently read to children and engage them actively in stories. For example, staff encourage older children to act out a story about three little pigs. Children work collaboratively together as they hand each other foam bricks. Staff encourage children to think critically as they work out how to make a house from straw and sticks. Younger children explore a range of props and puppets that reflect stories about a tiger who came to tea. Staff successfully develop children's love of books and early reading skills.
• Staff support children's transitions between each room in the nursery very effectively. They plan settling-in sessions to help to promote children's emotional well-being, such as young children enjoy mealtimes with older children, and settle quickly. Staff ensure that parents are equally involved when their children move to the pre-school room, to help to promote a seamless and consistent approach.
• Staff are very sensitive and caring in their approach when following children's personal care routines, particularly during nappy changing routines and toilet training. However, there are times when staff are not always flexible in their approach when following daily routines. For example, they take children outdoors only at set times and do not always consider those children who prefer to play and learn outdoors.
• Staff plan many opportunities to help to promote children's independence and self-help skills, in preparation for their eventual move on to school. For example, staff encourage children to pour themselves a drink of water during mealtimes, use the toilet independently and help children to hold cutlery correctly. As a result, children make good progress with their independence skills.
• Leaders reflect on the curriculum they provide and are committed to making ongoing improvements. Staff access a variety of professional development opportunities to help to extend the learning opportunities for children.
• Leaders have failed to inform Ofsted that there was a change to the company business address. Although this is a breach of the requirements of the early years foundation stage, this has no impact on children or the running of the nursery. The provider has now made the necessary notifications on the day of the inspection.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to encourage all children to fully participate in the opportunities and experiences available, to help to maximise their learning
• review the organisation of daily routines to allow these routines to meet children's individual needs more consistently.