Ovingham & District Under 5s

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have fun and are eager to learn at this friendly and welcoming setting. They form strong bonds with staff, who are caring and kind. Staff know children well and plan a wide range of activities that excite and interest them. There is a strong focus on children playing outdoors and exploring nature. Children benefit from fresh air and exercise daily in the nursery garden and woodland area. Staff place an emphasis on children's personal, social and emotional development. They encourage children's efforts and praise their achievements. This helps to raise children's confidence and self-esteem. Staff support children to relax, such as through mindfulness sessions and by practising breathing techniques.

Children are happy, settled and secure. They register themselves into the setting. This helps to give them a sense of ownership and belonging. Children learn to share, take turns and play cooperatively as they explore in the water tray with funnels, colanders, pinecones and acorns. Staff support children's growing independence well. Children learn to wash their hands, put on their coats and boots, and pour their own drinks. At mealtimes, children act as helpers. Staff model good manners and encourage children to try new foods. Menus are balanced and nutritious and staff talk to children about healthy eating.

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

• There are strong systems in place for assessing children's learning. Staff use this information to identify any areas where children may need additional support. They regularly share their observations of children's development with parents.
• Children have rich opportunities to learn about life outside the setting. They go on nature walks and visit the local church where they take part in a 'teddy bear trail'. Children travel by train with staff to visit a post office. They take part in singing at a local care home, where they enjoy meeting older people.
• Overall, staff plan good support for children's communication and language development. Children hear lots of language as staff chat to them about their play and share stories and songs. However, the manager recognises the need to review the structure of group times to maximise support for children's listening skills.
• Staff support children's physical development well. Children learn to climb, run, throw, balance and spin during outdoor play. They have great fun and learn to move in a range of ways as they take part in music and movement sessions.
• Children benefit from rich opportunities to develop their coordination and different ways of using their hands. They fill and empty containers with sand and water. Children explore with dough and make marks with stamps, chalks and crayons.
• Children engage fully in their play and show focus and concentration as they happily make envelopes for Christmas cards. However, they are sometimes distracted during story time as staff do not always check that children are ready to listen and learn.
• Staff have experience of supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have attended training on how to support children with SEND, which has had a positive impact on their practice.
• Staff work closely with teachers at the neighbouring school. This helps them to help to develop consistent support for children as they move on to the next stage of their learning.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They praise the manager and staff team, who they say are supportive, friendly and approachable. Parents comment positively on the variety of activities on offer for their children. They say they feel well informed and that their children are settled, happy and love coming to the setting.
• The experienced manager provides strong support to her staff team, in terms of their professional development and well-being. She observes staff's practice and supports them to develop their skills through constructive feedback, meetings and appraisals.
• The dedicated and experienced team of staff work very well together. They reflect continuously on experiences for children and have a positive attitude towards continuous improvement. The manager and staff are passionate about their work and are committed to providing a home-from-home experience for the children in their care.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the structure of group times, to better support children's learning and focus
• explore ways to help to settle children at story time, in order to prepare them to be ready to listen and learn.