Partou Natures Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this welcoming setting. They are greeted by friendly staff and settle quickly into activities of their choosing. Staff gather information from parents when children first start and use this to plan around children's interests and stage of development. This means staff know the children well and have secure bonds with them. As a result, children feel safe and secure.

Staff have high expectations for all children's development and behaviour and are good role models. Staff plan activities to support children's understanding of sharing and taking turns. For example, children wait patiently for their turn to use the ball run. Children behave well and play alongside and with each other. Older children have formed friendships and play cooperatively together.

Staff ensure that children have time indoors and outdoors to develop their physical skills. Babies are praised as they attempt to crawl and pull themselves into standing positions. More able babies skilfully balance on the indoor beam. Older children excitedly explore the large outdoor area. They develop new skills as they ride bikes and climb through tubes. Children work together as they use different tools to sweep up and clear the leaves in the garden. They learn to manage risks, and with staff support, complete risk assessments in the garden.

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

• The management team have good oversight of the setting and are implementing changes to the environment and the experiences available to children. The curriculum is sequenced to build on what children already know and can do. Staff are supported well and are provided with opportunities for further training. Regular one to one meeting's ensure that staff get the support they need.
• Regular observations and assessments of children mean staff are clear about what children know and what they need to learn next. This also supports staff to identify when there are gaps in children's learning. Plans are then put in place to support children's development. This means children make good progress from their starting points.
• Overall, children's communication and language is supported well. Group times support older children to listen and wait for their turn to talk. Staff talk to children about what they are doing and ask questions to make them think and extend their learning. However, at times, staff do not give children time to think and respond to questions or to use their critical thinking skills to find solutions to problems. As a result, not all children benefit from high-quality interactions to support their communication and thinking skills.
• Children develop a love of books and reading from a young age. Babies listen carefully as staff read a story. They interact with the storytelling by pointing at the pictures. Older children use books to learn about insects and skilfully copy the pictures to draw their own butterflies.
• Staff support children's mathematical development well. They successfully embed counting into younger children's everyday activities. Older children benefit from activities to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts. As children play with water, staff use language such as light and heavy. This means children are beginning to understand simple mathematical concepts.
• Children's independence is supported well. Staff encourage children to complete tasks for themselves, such as managing their self-care needs and putting their shoes on. Younger children confidently feed themselves with support from staff. This helps them develop skills for their next stage in learning.
• Staff plan activities to help children learn about the world around them. Children look at cards of different animals, including their bone structures. They then work together as they move around the room in different ways, copying the animal movements. Staff provide children with information about other cultures and festivals which are different to their own. This enables them to learn more about the wider world.
• Parents report that their children are happy and progress well. Staff use information gathered from parents to follow babies' routines from home. However, staff do not always share information about children's progress, next steps and how the parents can support children's learning and development at home. This means that some parents are less informed about their child's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff skills to consistently give children time to think and respond to questions to support children's language and critical thinking skills even further
• strengthen communication with parents so that all parents have information about their child's next steps in learning and how they can support their child's development at home.