Orchard Barn Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel confident and happy in this caring and welcoming nursery. They develop a strong sense of security and form trusting relationships. This successfully supports their emotional well-being. Babies and toddlers enjoy the improved opportunities to make choices about what they would like to do. They are supported to follow their interests, such as exploring a piece of cellophane wrap and learning how to use a remote control to turn on a light.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) become fully involved in activities and make good progress. They move freely and safely around the indoor and outdoor spaces, which are carefully planned to be fully accessible. Children readily contribute to conversations and use new vocabulary to express their ideas. For example, with support from staff, they learn to explain the purpose of a 'compact disc'. Older children are keen to make marks using paint, pencils and chalk. They show good physical control as they begin to form lines and circles on paper to represent letters.

Children show that they understand clear expectations during different activities, such as sitting down when it is time to eat. They are kind to each other. For example, when they pour themselves some water, they are mindful to check if others also need a refill.

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

• The management team and staff have worked effectively together to meet the actions set at the last inspection. They have quickly raised standards in the nursery to a good level. Staff are now deployed effectively to ensure children's behaviour is consistently supported and their safety is assured throughout the day.
• Staff have a good understanding of what they want children to learn and the order in which they need to learn it. They use their good knowledge of child development to plan activities that help develop children's independence and resilience. For example, they encourage children to take the lead in self-care tasks, such as clearing their plates, handwashing and helping to sweep up spillages.
• Overall, good improvements have been made to the organisation of routines and activities. For example, staff make sure children continue to experience good levels of direct support to meet their needs when eating and sleeping. However, staff do not always adapt the timing of adult-led activities to enable children to continue to deepen their ideas and maximise their learning.
• Staff support children's developing language well. They repeat familiar parts of stories and songs and pause appropriately to encourage babies and toddlers to join in. Staff invite older children to practise their conversation skills when meeting visitors. Children confidently say that they like to play outdoors and clearly explain how they pretend the climbing frame is 'a big ship in the swirly sea'.
• The key-person arrangements are particularly supportive of the care needs of children with SEND. Staff take time to learn children's individual vocal sounds, signs and facial expressions to help them respond to their requests. Staff go further to raise awareness of the needs of children with SEND. For example, they involve the nursery in charity events to help raise funds for additional equipment to meet children's changing needs.
• Staff focus well on celebrating children's achievements, often using praise and clapping when children persevere to complete a task. This helps to motivate children to behave well. Staff recognise when babies are becoming unsettled and act quickly to introduce new resources and capture their attention.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They feel reassured by the improvements made since the last inspection and appreciate the ongoing updates from their child's key person. Staff create plenty of opportunities for parents to get involved in their children's learning. For example, they organise meetings for the Parents' Forum, lead information sessions about starting school and invite parents to add to their children's online learning records.
• The new nursery manager demonstrates an ambitious vision for the future of the nursery. In a very short time, she has observed practice directly and reflected on staff's training and well-being needs. This has helped to inform the clear plans to further improve the quality of education for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus more precisely on extending older children's involvement and offering the highest levels of challenge during adult-led activities.