Partou Scotts Wood Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery. The caring staff team develops warm and nurturing relationships with children. Babies cosy up to staff as they look at a touch-and-feel book about a cow. Staff introduce new vocabulary, such as 'silky' and 'smooth', as they encourage babies to feel the cow's ears. Babies giggle as staff tickle their noses with the cow's tail. Staff help babies lift the flaps in the book. Babies excitedly say 'too-wit too-woo' when they find a picture of an owl. Staff name other animals, and babies readily make the correct animal noise. This helps babies to develop an early love of books.

Staff provide a range of adult-led activities to help children develop their early mathematical skills. Children and staff work together to recreate buildings from around the world. Children refer to picture guides to help them select the correct size and shape of cardboard box. Staff show children how to use a ruler and help children to recognise the numbers on the ruler to decide if their building is too big or too small. Staff notice when some children struggle to stop part of their ramp construction from falling over. Children are encouraged to help their friends think of solutions to stop this happening. They busy themselves collecting cushions to make the bottom of the ramp secure. This helps children work together to problem solve and creates a positive attitude to learning.

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

• Staff develop extremely positive relationships with parents. Parents say staff share their child's next steps with them and suggest how they can continue their child's learning at home. They state the whole staff team takes time to get to know their child, and their children have developed confidence and language skills.
• Staff provide activities within the daily routine to help children develop their independence. Pre-school children take turns to serve themselves lunch and pour their own drinking water. They access the toilet themselves and wash their own hands. Staff notice when younger toddlers struggle to use cutlery. They build on children's skills and demonstrate how to use forks and spoons to scoop up their dinner. This helps children to do as much as possible for themselves.
• Children have multiple opportunities to develop their muscle strength and coordination skills. Staff supervise younger toddlers as they navigate large indoor climbing apparatus. Children have learned how to carefully climb the steps to come back down the slide, and pre-school children know to hold out their arms to help them balance as they walk across a beam. Children are motivated further when staff praise them for their balancing and jumping skills.
• For the most part, the curriculum is effective, and children are engaged in purposeful learning. However, there are occasions before and after mealtimes when this is not the case. At these times, some children are not as engaged and lose focus on their learning.
• Staff plan an abundance of activities for children to develop their small-muscle skills. These activities help children practise the skills needed for early writing. For example, toddlers learn how to thread wooden beads onto cords. Staff demonstrate how to hold the cord securely, before placing the beads onto it. Toddlers take care, copying the action. Pre-school children use scissors to cut out pictures from magazines. Staff help children position their fingers in the scissors to help them cut out pictures while holding the paper still.
• Staff say that they enjoy working at the setting and that leaders are supportive. Leaders ensure regular meetings, staff supervision and opportunities to attend training to develop practice occur. The leaders have identified that further support for some staff is needed to help ensure staff interactions are consistently high quality to help ensure staff practice is to the highest level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• embed further the already good professional development staff receive, to help improve the consistency of staff interactions
• support staff to consistently follow the curriculum so that purposeful opportunities take place, particularly before and after mealtimes.