Partou Beech Green Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show excitement as they arrive at the nursery. They jump and clap as they rush in to greet the staff and their friends. Staff offer cuddles and show great care towards the children. This helps them feel safe and secure at the nursery.

Staff plan a range of exciting and interesting activities. Children engage quickly and begin to talk about their play. They enjoy exploring materials and are imaginative as they use wooden blocks and small logs to build bridges and roads. Staff offer a lot of language and descriptive words to support children's communication and language.

Staff provide activities that support the individual needs and learning styles of the children. Young children enjoy puppet play. They make the sounds of the animal puppets they have, and staff tell imaginative stories that excite the children.

Older children explore the soil and dig to find the buried letters. Staff ask children what letters they have found. Children begin to recognise the first letters of their names. This supports them as they begin to recognise their written names to register themselves in nursery for the day.

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

• The manager and staff know what they want children to learn. They plan and provide a wide range of interesting and exciting activities that engage children. Children have opportunities to build on what they know and can do and extend their learning through meaningful play. Staff offer open dialogue to promote children's thinking skills and build on their communication and language development.
• Staff use assessment well. They observe and review children's progress and share this information with parents. Parents know what their children are learning and how they can support this learning at home. Parents receive regular feedback and progress updates through an online app. This helps parents and staff to identify areas for development and next steps for the children.
• Children behave well. They know the daily routines, and this helps them to understand what to expect and when. Staff model positive interactions and engage with the children in a calm and caring manner. This helps children feel safe and secure at the nursery. Staff talk to children and teach them the language of feelings, which helps children learn to regulate their emotions and express their feelings. Children are supported well by staff, who offer guidance in managing and resolving minor squabbles between children.
• Children are confident and are developing their skills in managing appropriate risks. For example, children enjoy climbing and standing on platforms in the garden, and they carefully consider how to get down safely. Staff are close by to offer a helping hand or suggestions that guide children to think about their safety.
• Staff encourage children to develop their skills for managing their own personal hygiene needs. They support and promote children's self-care by teaching them to wash their hands and wipe their noses. However, staff are inconsistent in implementing this.
• The manager focuses on improving staff's knowledge of the areas of learning. She provides regular supervision that reflects staff practice and identifies areas for development to support staff in their professional development. Staff training towards qualifications is well supported. They comment on feeling valued and receiving the guidance they need to complete their training successfully.
• The manager acts with integrity to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have access to their entitlement to early education. She works effectively with schools and local services to share information about children. This helps to prepare children for their next stage of learning, particularly when going to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to be more consistent in teaching children good personal hygiene practices.