Partou Brimstage Village Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly and engage in activities with staff. Staff interactions are positive and are very responsive to children's needs and interests. Staff narrate children's play and provide lots of opportunities to talk, sing, read stories and introduce new vocabulary. When babies babble, staff babble back to them in response, modelling early conversations. Children benefit from many opportunities to explore stories and songs. Story time supports staff to build bonds with babies. The babies sit closely with staff and snuggle in to share the book, spending some quiet one-to-one time with their key person. Older children go on a 'train ride' where they use their imagination and creativity. They talk about all the places they want to visit. Staff provide many opportunities for questioning and introducing new vocabulary, ideas and concepts.

Children benefit from robust routines and boundaries that help them to know what is happening next. Golden rules help children to remember how to behave, such as using their walking feet indoors. Staff use stories and games to help to teach children about feelings and emotions. They talk about how the 'monster' feels in the story, then use mirrors to check how children are feeling today. Children learn how to help their friends when they are feeling sad or angry.

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

• By establishing a more consistent staff team, leaders have been able to help children to build secure attachments and establish an effective key-person system. Children know who to go to for comfort and security. This helps children to settle quickly and develop their confidence.
• Leaders and staff give priority to developing children's communication and language. Staff have all recently attended training in this area, which is evident through their interactions with children. Staff model and support children's developing vocabulary at all opportunities and quickly identify any gaps in children's development. This helps to ensure children make swift progress in this area.
• Leaders have designed and implemented a new curriculum, which provides a sequenced model of learning to build on children's skills. Staff offer a variety of activities for children which keep them engaged. However, planning does not always follow children's next steps, as such children's learning is not always extended as intended.
• Children enjoy being outdoors. They access the climbing frame, where they take turns to go up the steps and down the slide. Children also enjoy playing with the footballs. However, activities outdoors are not explicitly planned for, meaning children do not always benefit from specific opportunities that further develop their learning.
• Hygiene practices are good. Staff model these from the baby room, with babies encouraged to wash their hands before meals. Older children are encouraged to wash their hands and talk confidently about washing the germs away. This helps children to understand the importance of good hygiene practices.
• Support is in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Interventions are implemented quickly where gaps are identified. Staff make referrals to relevant agencies as soon as possible with support from parents. This helps to ensure that all children get the support they need to make progress.
• Leaders consider the well-being of the staff team, Staff training is readily taking place. Coaching and mentoring is becoming second nature. Leaders have a good idea of how they want to improve staff practice to raise standards across the setting. As such, children are benefiting from happier and more enthusiastic staff.
• Partnership with parents has improved. Parents feel that leaders and staff communicate more readily. Parents know who is working with their child and receive more detailed information about their child's day. However, parents are not consistently provided with information about their children's progress and how they can support learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further develop staff understanding and implementation of the curriculum to support children's next steps in an age appropriate way
• review the curriculum so that it considers and promotes children's learning outdoors
• continue to build on partnership with parents to provide them with information about their children's progress and how they can support learning at home.