Owls Nest Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled. Staff spend time interacting and playing with children, which helps them to feel safe and develop a sense of well-being. Older babies develop their small-muscle skills as they are encouraged to feed themselves at mealtimes under close supervision from staff. They enjoy exploring the textures and colours of paint as they create pictures. Toddlers are fascinated by familiar stories and begin to learn about numbers as they point at and count how many pieces of fruit a caterpillar eats. Pre-school children learn how plants grow. They explore compost and fill containers. Staff extend their experience as they provide construction toys that children use to create flowers. Children demonstrate their previous learning as they talk about their tall flower stem.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are curious and motivated to take part in the activities. Staff are enthusiastic in their engagement with children. They plan activities that take account of children's interests and offer suitable challenges to extend children's learning. For example, pre-school children with SEND, who are fascinated by letters and recognise capital letters, benefit from exploring puzzles that show lower case letters. Staff help children learn the letter sounds as they work on completing the puzzle. This promotes children's listening and communication skills.

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

• The management team work closely with the staff and have continually supported them since the last inspection. They have reviewed the staff's knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and have ensured they have refreshed their safeguarding training. The management team continues to develop the staff's confidence in their abilities. They have made all required changes to ensure children's needs are met.
• Most of the time, staff speak to children clearly and successfully engage them in play. Children choose to join activities supervised by the staff. Staff talk to children and ask them what they are doing. They provide praise and encouragement for children's efforts. However, staff sometimes ask children lots of directive questions rather than continuing with relaxed conversations. This does not effectively support children's speaking skills, as children sometimes struggle to respond.
• The staff know the children well. They encourage children to have a go at all the activities available to them. Children benefit from outdoor play in the nursery garden. They develop their physical skills and learn about taking turns as they wait before climbing up the steps of the slide. Staff are supportive of children who are hesitant and lack confidence. They reassure them and praise the children when they manage to get to the top. This reassurance and guidance from staff helps children develop the confidence to challenge themselves.
• Overall, staff help children to develop their independence skills. All children are encouraged to make choices about what they do, and toddlers and pre-school children try to put their coats on for outside play. At lunchtime, pre-school children collect their food and cutlery and pour their own drinks. However, some children sit for a long time before they can fetch their food. This results in some children becoming distracted, leaving the table and unwilling to come back and sit down.
• Staff build effective partnerships with parents. They value the information parents share with them about children's interests and the experiences they have at home. Staff incorporate this information into their planning of activities to provide a consistent approach and widen children's experiences. For example, staff provide children with pictures of food linked to a familiar story. This prompts lots of discussion and interest in the different types of food and promotes children's understanding of healthy eating.
• Parents make positive comments about the nursery. They comment on how swiftly the staff identify where children need additional support. The parents like how the staff work closely with them to ensure their children are referred to other agencies without delay, so they can receive the support they need. Parents like the detailed feedback they receive from staff when they collect their children about their routines and the activities they have enjoyed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and enhance routine activities, such as lunchtime, to ensure all children remain fully engaged and continue learning
• develop staff's knowledge and skills to support children's conversational skills as they play.