Pinocchio Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive to a warm welcome from staff and quickly settle into their groups. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure as they follow the routines and play with the toys and resources. Children form strong and caring bonds with their key persons, who provide effective support. Babies who are settling in get plenty of cuddles and individual care, which helps them to become confident within the nursery environment.

Children respond positively to staff's high expectations. They play happily together and are motivated to learn. For instance, children are highly focused as they build a tall house from bricks. They creatively add details, such as skittles to represent the chimneys. Children show resilience and determination when their house accidentally gets knocked down. They say 'never mind' and work together to rebuild it.

Children have lots of opportunities for vigorous play, to help support their physical well-being. For instance, in the garden they dig, climb, run and ride on balance bikes. Older children learn to manage risks safely while they negotiate the slope in the garden. They listen to staff's guidance to go slowly and be careful of others.

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

• The manager and staff have worked hard to make many positive changes since the last inspection. For example, they recognise that some children need additional support with their communication and social skills. Therefore, the provider and the manager have focused staff training on developing interactions with children.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They comment on the strong partnerships with children's key persons. Parents appreciate the regular feedback on children's progress and the advice on issues such as behaviour and toilet training. They say this helps them to consistently support their children's learning at home.
• Staff work closely with parents to support children's individual needs, including children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff complete the required progress checks for all children, to help identify any gaps in their learning. Where appropriate, staff seek advice from other professionals, to ensure all children get a secure start to their education.
• Staff confidently discuss the children's individual interests and the progress that they make. They successfully sequence children's learning, to help them make consistent progress. For instance, staff provide activities, such as threading and play dough, to strengthen children's small muscle movements in readiness for writing. Overall, the curriculum is ambitious and supports children's progress well. However, staff do not implement the curriculum fully to support children's interest in literacy. They do not extend learning for those children who prefer to learn outdoors, for example, so they can make marks and enjoy stories outside.
• There is a strong focus on communication and language. Staff successfully introduce children to a rich variety of words throughout the day. For instance, during imaginative role play, staff describe the 'creamy porridge' and 'tiny, miniature plates'. This helps children to acquire broad vocabularies.
• Staff provide a good range of learning experiences which interest and engage children. However, occasionally, staff do not consider the impact of background noise or the number of children participating in adult-led activities. Therefore, some children do not gain the most from these learning opportunities.
• Children show a keen interest in number. For instance, they wonder how many babies have joined the group at lunchtime and enjoy counting them to find out. Staff extend children's curiosity in mathematics, for example by teaching them to weigh and measure when they make play dough.
• Children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning. They acquire useful personal skills, such as how to put on their coats, serve their meals and eat with cutlery. These opportunities help children to become independent and confident in their own abilities.
• Children learn good social skills, including how to share and take turns. They listen to others and cooperate while they play. For instance, older children calmly discuss and resolve a misunderstanding about who is using the bricks.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to build on children's interest in literacy, particularly those children who prefer to learn outdoors
• support staff to consider the environmental factors and group size during adult-led activities, to consistently engage, support and challenge children's learning.