Peaslake Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited and eager to arrive. They are welcomed into the nursery by the friendly staff team. Children choose from one of the stimulating activities available, including play dough and sand. They lead their play, making choices about what they would like to do. Children benefit from a curriculum where they are recognised as unique individuals who are naturally curious. Children are passionate about and interested in the natural world. They enthusiastically watch a live-stream video of birds nesting in the nursery garden. They proudly tell visitors, 'There are ten eggs!' Children learn about the life cycle of a frog. They use picture cards to check what stage the nursery tadpoles are at.

Children spend a sustained period playing imaginatively in the mud kitchen. They work alongside their peers, mixing and pouring as they pretend to make birthday cakes. Children enjoy being physically challenged. They use planks of wood, tyres and large wooden blocks to create climbing structures. Once they are happy with how the obstacles are set up, they carefully balance along the planks. Staff encourage children to think critically and take risks, helping them to consider their own safety during their play. This supports children to develop their problem-solving skills.

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

• Staff provide children with a range of opportunities that broaden their experiences. For example, children enjoy cookery sessions each week. They talk fondly of the things that they have baked and are keen to do more cooking. Children take part in yoga, visit the woods for forest school activities and go on a bus to the local library. These opportunities help children to learn about the wider community.
• Parents share positive comments about the setting. They praise the changes that the manager has made. Parents are included in children's learning. They are invited to meet with their child's key person regularly to discuss the progress that their child is making. Staff engage well with outside agencies. They form close links with local primary schools, which supports children's transitions to the next stage of their education.
• Children are highly independent. They enjoy taking responsibility and doing things for themselves. For example, at snack time, they wash their hands on their own before pouring their drink and selecting what they would like to eat. Children show a positive attitude and approach tasks with confidence.
• Children have access to a large collection of books and different literature. For example, as well as fiction and non-fiction books, there are leaflets and magazines that children can read. Across the nursery, staff provide a number of opportunities for purposeful mark making, such as writing shopping lists. These opportunities help children to develop their understanding of words and text and become familiar with understanding literacy.
• The manager has embedded a range of strategies to help children to understand their emotions. For example, she has introduced a calming zone for children to enjoy. However, some staff are less confident in consistently implementing the effective strategies in place to support all children with managing their feelings and behaviour. On occasion, this leads to children disrupting their friends' play.
• The manager has a clear vision for the nursery. She is passionate and inspiring. The manager ensures that she and her team continuously develop their knowledge and skills through attending training. For instance, she has recently focused training on boosting children's communication and language skills. This has had a positive impact on children's language development.
• Staff monitor children's progress effectively. When there are gaps in children's learning, these are quickly identified and support is put in place. The manager plans learning opportunities to meet all areas of learning across the week. However, some staff are less confident in identifying the specific learning intentions for children during activities to fully support their learning and development.
• Children make good progress in their communication and language development. They communicate to share their ideas during their play. Staff read and sing to children throughout the day to help broaden their vocabulary. While reading, staff ask children questions about the book to check their understanding and help to keep them focused.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff fully understand how to implement effective strategies to help children manage their emotions and regulate their actions positively
• support staff to develop a secure understanding of each child's next steps and the learning intentions of planned activities to ensure children make the best possible progress.