Orange & Lemon

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this friendly and welcoming nursery. They quickly develop affectionate relationships with staff, and show that they feel safe and secure in their care. For instance, children include staff in their imaginative role play, confident that they will listen to their ideas and join in. Children's behaviour is consistently good; they are friendly towards others and play nicely together. Children listen to staff and enjoy being helpful. For example, they cheerfully assist with chores, such as tidying up.

Staff have high expectations for all children. They get to know each child well so that they can support their progress and extend their interests. Children develop positive attitudes towards learning. They confidently lead their own play, indoors and outdoors, taking risks and setting themselves challenges. For example, in the garden, they learn how to cycle safely up and down the small hill. The good range of resources and activities spark the children's imaginations and curiosity. For example, children enjoy playing with toy trucks and diggers, and make up imaginative games based on their own experiences. They find out more about the vehicles by looking at books with staff.

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

• The manager demonstrates a passionate commitment to the children and families that use the nursery. She and staff gather a wide range of information about children by observing them and talking to their parents. They plan the learning programmes effectively to ensure that children have a broad variety of experiences. This helps to enhance their learning and prepare them for later life. Additional funding is used to provide resources to continue children's learning at home.
• Parents are happy about the care and education their children receive. They say that their children have developed confidence and speak more fluently since starting the nursery. Parents comment that staff are very kind and friendly. They feel well informed about what their children enjoy and learn at the nursery.
• The manager provides consistent support and guidance to staff. However, sometimes, the targets for staff improvement are not precisely focused to help staff to improve on specific areas of their professional practice.
• In general, the quality of teaching is good. For example, during adult-led games, staff adapt their teaching spontaneously to ensure that all children can understand and follow the rules. However, on occasion, staff do not support children's thinking skills effectively, for example, by not giving them enough time to consider and respond to questions.
• Children are enthusiastic and active learners. They react positively to challenges and enjoy solving problems. For example, children were having fun blowing bubbles. When the mixture began to run out, staff said that the activity was finished. However, children discovered that by shaking the containers they could continue to blow bubbles successfully.
• Children enjoy looking at books independently, and they listen intently to stories read by adults. Staff also ensure that there is a good selection of factual books in different areas of the nursery. This supports children to discover new information as they play and broaden their understanding of the world.
• Many of the children attending speak English as an additional language. The manager and staff find out some of the words they use at home so as to help children understand the nursery routines and boundaries. Staff also focus on supporting children's communication in English. They sing songs and read books with children, and introduce new language during play to extend children's vocabularies.
• Children acquire important skills to support the next stages in their learning and prepare them for starting school. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children who receive funding and those with English as an additional language.
• Staff support children's personal care skills and teach them how to keep healthy. For example, children learn about personal hygiene as they use tissues and antibacterial hand gel at the 'nose-blowing station'. They learn to care for their teeth by brushing them after meals.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children's thinking skills by, for example, giving them more time to think about and respond to questions
• ensure that staff supervision sessions are more effective by focusing more precisely on staff's individual professional development.