Partou Brimstage Village Day Nursery & Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy and well settled at this nursery. Staff are caring, nurturing and get to know children well. They support children to explore their own feelings and to regulate their behaviour. Staff's expectations for positive behaviour are very well embedded. Children remember important rules, such as lining up before leaving the room or returning indoors so that everyone can be accounted for. They are very familiar with the daily routine and know what is happening now and next. This helps children to feel secure and promotes their emotional well-being.

Staff support children's communication and language development well. They incorporate a range of songs and rhymes into children's play, which children then copy independently. This is particularly effective in helping to develop the speaking skills of children who speak English as an additional language and those who need extra support. Staff introduce a wealth of new and interesting words, such as 'reflection', 'shiny' and 'squelch'. They support children to repeat and perfect their pronunciation by speaking clearly and modelling any words said incorrectly. Children are confident, articulate communicators who are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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

• The manager has a good understanding of the different things she wants children to learn. The curriculum is broad, balanced and based around children's interests. Staff use what they know about children to carefully weave next steps into their play. Procedures for monitoring children's development help staff to swiftly identify and address any gaps in learning. All children make good progress in their development.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. Staff identify children who may be at risk of falling behind and implement support strategies to help them. Leaders make timely referrals to outside professionals when necessary. This helps to ensure that children with SEND make progress from their individual starting points.
• Overall, children have a positive attitude to learning. Older children work as a team and concentrate intently when cleaning the bicycles. They are eager to take part in the activities on offer and motivated to learn. However, some group activities lack a clear focus and are not adapted well enough for younger children. Consequently, these children lose interest and become distracted quickly, which limits their learning experience.
• Children have good levels of independence, despite being new to the nursery. They put on their own wellington boots and coats, serve their own meals and hand out plates and cutlery to their friends. Children use mirrors to help guide them when washing their own faces. They have good levels of self-care and are quickly developing important skills needed for the future.
• On the whole, partnerships with parents are effective. Staff collect information about children when they first start, to help them plan appropriate activities. Parents' evenings take place each term and parents receive information about their child's progress. However, there are occasions when not all parents receive information about how they can support children's learning at home. This hinders the continuity in children's learning.
• Opportunities to promote literacy development are well embedded throughout the nursery. Staff read to children with enthusiasm, asking open-ended questions to check their comprehension skills. They provide dough activities that strengthen children's small-muscle skills in preparation for early writing. Some children confidently use mark-making equipment to draw their families, discussing their different characteristics. Children already possess some of the skills they need for school.
• The manager is passionate about her role and dedicated to staff's well-being. Staff receive a robust induction and ongoing supervision to support them. They access a variety of professional development opportunities and receive feedback on their performance. However, the feedback they receive is not always accurate enough. Consequently, there are some minor inconsistencies in the quality of education that children receive.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of group activities to allow all children to engage more consistently
• provide all parents with information about how to support children's learning at home
• provide staff with more accurate feedback on their practice to raise the quality of education to the highest level.