Parkside Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This small and exceptional nursery team demonstrates a passionate commitment to maintaining their high-quality service for the benefit of local families in the community. It reflects on all aspects of the nursery and actively seeks and acts on the views of staff, parents and children. The nursery continues to evolve and make outstanding improvements to enhance outcomes for children, especially for children who are disadvantaged. Children form very close attachments to staff and behave impeccably well. Staff show high levels of respect for children and are excellent role models. This helps children to learn how to show consideration for others. Staff give children who are still learning to self-regulate superb support to help them to calm and learn how their behaviours can affect others. Key persons show children endless kindness, patience and praise and provide a very high level of care.

Staff have an excellent focus on helping all children to develop outstanding communication skills from the day they start. Staff skilfully encourage toddlers to join in spontaneous songs with actions and read a wealth of stories to help them to develop new words. Older children confidently attempt to talk to friends in depth about their activities and ideas for games. Children's use of pictures and hand signs help them to readily show the attentive staff what they have achieved as they play. Other children approach the inspector and tell them about superheroes and their families in drawings, using familiar words that staff introduce. Children develop a vast array of skills which prepare them extremely well for the next stage of their learning, such as starting school.

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

• The curriculum is ambitious for all children and covers all areas of learning. Staff plan superbly for the individual next steps in every child's learning, based on accurate assessments and sharply focused observations. Staff deploy themselves exceptionally well across the nursery. They seamlessly support each child, expertly guiding their learning to build on what they already know using skilful interactions. This helps children to foster their curiosity, independence and problem-solving skills.
• Children receive an immense amount of praise and encouragement. This is extremely effective in supporting children's high self-esteem and confidence, especially those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work very effectively with parents and other professionals, such as occupational therapists, educational psychologists, paediatricians, speech and language therapists and social workers. This helps to ensure that staff quickly identify and meet children's needs to a very high degree. The manager and special educational needs coordinator target additional funding very effectively to directly maximise the benefit for children.
• The environment is very well thought out and includes a quiet room, sensory room and exciting outdoor learning area. Children's natural curiosity and exploratory instincts are very well nurtured as staff supply endless and exciting challenges. Staff use their considerable expertise to teach children about risks and safe behaviours. This empowers children to explore independently and extend their own capabilities within safe and supervised surroundings. Staff organise experiences out in the local community to museums and farms, and invite visiting teachers in, such as for a yoga class. Staff use these experiences to give children an understanding of people, families and communities beyond their own.
• Teaching throughout the nursery is exemplary. Staff have a highly impressive depth of knowledge about each individual child. For instance, they consistently and skilfully use reflective questions and encourage children to think and recall their previous experiences. These wonderful interactions and children's complete involvement clearly show how much children are learning.
• Staff work very closely with parents and carers as their children start at the nursery. They adapt the settling-in periods to meet the needs of each individual child. Equally, staff work sensitively with children to ensure that they have individualised transfers in to the room for older children, and parents are fully involved in this process.
• Staff have built excellent links with local schools and strive to ensure that children have a positive experience as they move on to school. For example, they arrange visits from teachers and any professionals involved with the child.
• Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding. This makes an excellent contribution to the consistency of care and support for children's learning. All parents comment on the rapid growth of their child's speech and social skills after joining the nursery and say that staff 'go above and beyond' for them and their children. Parents comment, 'the manager and staff are amazing' and 'they treat us with the most love and care as parents'.
• The management team is inspirational. It continually evaluates and develops staff's practice to improve outcomes for each individual child. For example, staff continue to take training opportunities to develop their expertise. This includes advanced speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and manual handling skills. The manager has recently completed a level 2 counselling course to help to support families in need. Her deputy has completed a level 5 management qualification to ensure the incredibly well-organised provision continues. The staff team is highly valued and their health and well-being is a priority for the dedicated manager. Staff say they are incredibly happy in their roles and find their work very rewarding.