Partou Storytimes Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff enthusiastically welcome children and parents when they arrive at nursery. Children quickly find their peg to hang their coats and go in search of their friends. Children eagerly explore the activities set up for them based on their interests. Babies settle easily with familiar staff, who know their individual needs and abilities. Staff are extremely attentive to individual children's needs. For example, they have their favourite stories ready when they arrive. Staff care for children very much and know their individual needs well. This helps all children to settle quickly and feel safe and secure.

Older children are keen to tell their friends and staff what they are looking forward to doing at nursery today. Children are extremely involved and motivated to learn. This is because staff plan challenging and exciting activities, which interest children and build on what children already know and can do. Children make good progress and are ready for the next stage in their learning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have kept contact with families to help parents continue their child's learning at home.

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

• Staff skilfully teach children through play and help them to lead their own learning. Staff ask questions and encourage children to remember their own experiences. For example, while role playing in the coffee shop, children use various ingredients to make drinks. Children extend their own learning and use the ingredients to make chocolate cake. Staff use mathematical language and introduce new concepts to embed their learning. For example, children mix, pour and count their scoops into teacups. Children show delight in their creations and staff celebrate their achievements. However, staff do not always ensure that all children who speak English as an additional language are enabled to talk and listen to both languages. This does not help to further support their language development.
• Staff encourage children to enjoy books, stories and rhymes. Younger children become involved and motivated to join in group activities, where they guess what is in the box. They wait eagerly to find out what is next. Staff encourage them to name the object with lots of praise for their efforts. Older children learn new words, for example 'swirling and whirling', as they mix potions with wooden spoons. They use their magic wands and shout 'abracadabra!' Staff skilfully ask questions about what might happen next and encourage children to use their imagination.
• All staff have exceptionally high standards for all children's behaviour. Staff deal with disagreements swiftly, effectively and in an age-appropriate way. Children challenge themselves and show perseverance as they try again to fill up containers carefully. Children show a positive attitude to learning and play together exceptionally well, taking turns and sharing. Children listen to each other's ideas and tell staff what else they want to do day to day, and through the pre-school councils.
• Children are extremely confident and independent. There are lots of opportunities for all children to develop their self-care skills. Younger children are encouraged to pour their own drinks and use cutlery. Babies are supervised closely and encouraged to feed themselves. Older children learn to identify risks outdoors and on outings. They know if they run, they may trip and fall. Children tell staff that they need to make sure the gate is locked when they play outdoors.
• Managers ensure that all staff share the same vision for children to be confident, happy and progress to the next stage of their education. This includes those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Managers ensure that staff workload is manageable, and well-being is good. As a result of this, the staff team is highly motivated and involved in the care and education of children. However, managers do not always identify areas of improvement in the curriculum that will enhance further support for children's learning.
• Parents are extremely complimentary about the service they receive from all staff. They report that the nursery has the personal touch they really appreciate. Parents say communication is excellent and they know who their key person is because their child talks about them at home. Parents know their child's next steps and what they are working on at nursery. Parents feel confident to support their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure managers identify areas of improvement in the curriculum to enhance support for children's learning
• support staff to help children who speak English as an additional language to communicate and listen in both languages to further develop children's speech and language skills.