Parbold Douglas Nursery and Duggies Out of School Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a nurturing, home-from-home environment. Children are happy and engaged in learning. Relationships between staff and children are strong, and children settle in quickly and grow in confidence. The key-person system is well implemented throughout the pre-school. For instance, children spend a significant amount of time with their key person, who supports their learning and emotional well-being and has regular communication with parents. Staff are good role models and give children gentle explanations of expectations of behaviour. Children behave well and enjoy the company of others. They play cooperatively, and staff encourage them to share and take turns.

The manager has an ambitious vision: to provide high-quality, inclusive care and education to all children. She ensures that staff meet the needs of individual children well and that they are proactive in identifying if children need a specific level of support. Children learn to recognise their own names, and staff encourage them to sound letters out as they play. They enjoy making marks and develop a love for practising their early writing skills.

Children learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, they know and understand the importance of washing their hands at appropriate times. Children regularly take part in outdoor play to ensure they get plenty of fresh air and exercise. Staff encourage them to make healthy food choices and have interesting discussions with children about the importance of eating vegetables.

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

• Staff focus on children's communication and language development effectively. They skilfully adjust their communication style according to children's needs, including through simple instructions or expert questioning. Children talk confidently about where worms live, and they treat them with kindness when putting them back in the soil. Children learn skills to prepare them for their next stage in learning, including the move to school.
• The manager and staff are passionate about helping children to develop the key skills and attitudes they need to be ready for school. For example, they encourage children to complete tasks independently, including pouring drinks and zipping up coats before they play outdoors.
• Staff know the children well and complete assessments effectively to identify what they need to learn next. They focus on children learning by providing activities that support their next steps. As a result, they consistently adapt their teaching approach to build on what children already know and can do.
• Staff build good relationships with parents and communicate effectively about children's learning and development. Parents speak very highly of the nursery and how supportive staff have been.
• The key-person system is securely in place. Staff have a good knowledge of their individual key children, including their development, care needs and what makes them unique. Staff are attentive to children's needs and recognise when they need additional emotional support, such as when younger children become tired and need a cuddle.
• Staff work well with other professionals to provide appropriate support and continuity in learning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The manager uses additional funding to support individual children. However, the staff who work closely with children with SEND are not given the opportunity to be involved in the decision making about what the funding could be used for.
• The manager provides ongoing training and supervision for staff and promptly identifies any weaknesses in practice. However, there is scope for further improvement in helping the less experienced staff to gain an even better understanding of how to support children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to focus on helping the less experienced staff develop an even better knowledge of how to support children's learning
• involve staff in the decision making process of how additional funding can be used for individual children in order to promote and enhance their learning and development.