Partou Little Manor Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are contented in this welcoming nursery. Staff help babies to settle, creating close bonds with their calming presence, which helps babies to feel safe. Toddlers benefit from the support they receive in developing their independence. They confidently feed themselves at mealtimes and celebrate toilet training successes. Children thrive on the familiar daily routines. Younger children awake refreshed after their sleep, with improved behaviour and an eagerness to learn. Children benefit from the strong support for their communication and language throughout the nursery. Older children show the impact of this in their eloquent communication. Their ability to hold meaningful conversations, with friends and adults alike, shows their readiness for the move to school. Staff help children to learn to be respectful and considerate of each other and to develop the skills to concentrate well on their learning experiences.

Children talk about what they enjoy doing while at nursery and about who their close friends are. Staff demonstrate to children how to play imaginatively. As a result, children cover themselves in material and pretend to be ghosts. Some create their own games and rules during outdoor play, no longer relying on adults to lead their play. Others make the independent choice to sit quietly, exploring their favourite books, turning the pages and retelling the story in their own words. Children benefit from a range of experiences, such as trips to see horses and visits to local woods. Staff educate children about, and arrange for them to meet, people who help to keep them safe, such as paramedics and female members of the armed forces. This further supports leaders' focus on providing children with positive role models.

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

• The manager has continued to work hard with the staff team to provide children with a positive environment in which to learn. The curriculum is tailored to children's interests. Staff use this knowledge to accurately plan for children's next steps in order to provide a good level of challenge. As a result, children are beginning to develop their resilience to adversity and show their determination to succeed.
• Following recent staffing difficulties, the manager ensures that staff are well deployed so that children's needs are met. The number of staff with the required training and qualifications working with the children at all times in all rooms is sufficient. This contributes to the overall strong quality of education children receive.
• Staff teach children the importance of healthy lifestyles. Children learn how vegetables grow, which foods are good for them, and about matters such as oral health. Young children accurately sort healthy foods from unhealthy, evidencing retained knowledge from prior learning. Other children practise the physical action of brushing teeth with a variety of props, which helps to develop this important self-care skill. However, some staff do not always demonstrate good hygiene practice themselves. This means that, at times, there is a risk of cross-infection.
• Nursery leaders are proactive in seeking feedback on ways to make ongoing improvements. They actively engage with parents to seek their views on a frequent basis. Suggestions are taken on board and result in purposeful changes to how the nursery operates. As a result, the education provided to children in relation to equalities is a notable strength. Staff help children to learn, with real purpose, about individuality and what makes each person unique. This prepares children exceptionally well for life in modern Britain.
• Staff explain that they receive the support they need from the leadership team. Their well-being is well considered, and their workload is manageable. Ongoing training and professional development are readily available, which helps staff to enhance the specific skills they seek to develop. In turn, this contributes to the positive outcomes for children.
• The nursery provides quality support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work collaboratively with parents and other services to ensure that children receive the best possible support at the earliest point. This ensures that, where possible, additional support and guidance are put in place to help children with SEND make the best possible progress.
• Staff ensure that activities progressively prepare children for their next stage of learning. For example, they teach children the expectations of listening to others, waiting their turn, and responding positively to staff. Staff teach children the difference between right and wrong. The impact of this is seen in children's daily interactions with their friends.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the quality of hygiene practice so it is of a consistently high standard.