Orchard End Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted by warm and caring staff at this homely nursery. They quickly become immersed in their play and learning. An effective key-person system helps children to feel settled and secure. Children benefit from a generous outdoor area. They use their physical skills to ride bicycles and crawl through tunnels in the orchard. Children learn about the natural world through finding out about how to grow vegetables from talks by visitors. They plant seedlings and watch them grow. Younger children practise their small motor skills. They squeeze and roll play dough, and use a range of cutters to create shapes. This benefits children as they prepare for making marks and writing.

Babies snuggle in with familiar adults and listen to stories. Staff help babies to develop their language skills as they sing songs with actions. Pre-school children develop a sense of curiosity as they explore the properties of melting ice. They watch as it melts in their hands. They use hammers to break the ice and find hidden toy dinosaurs. Staff help the children to understand why the ice is melting. This develops children's understanding of scientific concepts. Children develop their mathematical skills. Younger children place bricks into vehicles as their key person slowly counts. Older children add up how many children there are in the room. This helps to develop number concept and simple addition.

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

• Children behave well. They are learning to be polite and courteous to everyone. They say 'please' and 'thank you' and are supported and encouraged by kind staff. Children's engagement levels are high in pre-school For example, children sit and participate during group times. They understand when to listen and join in with the staff.
• The nursery is led by a knowledgeable and committed manager. The manager supports her staff to create an ambitious curriculum based around the children's interests. As a result, children's development is progressing well in the nursery.
• Children throughout the nursery engage in story times and songs. This promotes developing language and literacy skills. Toddlers do not always have the same quality of experience as the rest of the children. Sometimes story times are rushed or interrupted. This prevents the children from hearing words clearly.
• The manager uses additional funding to ensure that all children receive interesting experiences. Children benefit from enriching activities, such as watching ducklings hatch and enjoying baking at nursery. This helps children as they learn about the world around them.
• Children benefit from a healthy diet at nursery as they enjoy home-cooked food. Allergies and food preferences are carefully observed. The nursery has received accreditation for promoting the health of young children. This has benefited the staff's and children's understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.
• Staff gather information about children's home languages to support them in their everyday interactions. They display written words in languages such as Bulgarian and Polish around the room. Staff also offer books written in English and children's home language for the children to take home and share with their families. As a result, children make good progress.
• The manager and her staff show a good understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's development. Staff use positive praise to help children to develop their independence and confidence. This supports children's personal and emotional well-being.
• Parents speak positively about their children's experiences at nursery. They talk about how the staff support their children to settle and what they are learning. Parents feel that the nursery staff communicate well though an online learning platform and face-to-face meetings.
• Children enjoy making marks on paper with a variety of mark-making equipment. They use their small motor skills to hold paintbrushes and create pictures using paint. Supportive staff use good questioning techniques to support children's thinking skills.
• Staff quickly identify children who may need additional support. They work closely with outside agencies, such as speech and language therapists and physiotherapists. Staff ensure that they make contact with other settings the children attend. This helps staff to implement consistent strategies to support children to make progress in their development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop how they use language when reading stories and singing songs to build on children's understanding, language and listening skills.