Pippa's Group

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident as they enter the nursery. They are welcomed warmly by the staff and settle into the daily routine. Children confidently choose from resources that interest them and engage in activities set for them by the staff, as they direct their own play.

Children form good relationships with the staff, who are caring and sensitive in their approach. They enthusiastically share experiences with staff and visitors. For example, children show a purple shamrock to staff, explaining what it tastes like and what they use it for. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.

Children enjoy spending time playing outside. They are encouraged to dress themselves. Children develop their gross motor skills as they negotiate spaces, riding bicycles and scooters while making their own obstacle course. They learn to take age-appropriate risks and keep themselves safe as they engage in woodwork with staff. Children recount the safety rules with staff as they saw wood to make a 'dog'. They remind each other not to cross the line and stay safe. Children listen and follow instructions well, share and take turns. As a result, children's behaviour is good.

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

• The manager and staff have high expectations of the children in their care. They know their key children well. Staff take children's knowledge and interests into account when planning for their next steps. They build on these to extend children's learning even further. For example, staff provide resources and discuss how to make a pizza oven with the children, following their interest in cooking pizzas. Children thoroughly enjoy these experiences, and it helps to build their knowledge and understanding. These skills equip them well for future learning and starting school.
• Staff encourage children to speak and voice their ideas and needs. Children talk confidently with their friends, staff and visitors. The manager and staff model language and introduce new words into their conversations with the children, such as 'erupt' and 'lava', when making a volcano. However, at times, staff do not consistently allow children enough time to think things through and respond during conversations. This impacts on children's ability to problem solve and extend their learning even further.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. The special educational needs coordinator identifies children who need extra support promptly. She works with parents and other professionals to create individualised plans to support their learning and development, both at home and in the nursery. As a result, children make good progress across all areas of learning.
• Overall, the manager and staff work well with parents. Parents are complimentary about the manager, staff and the care their children receive. They comment on the progress their children make since attending. Parents describe the manager and staff as 'great'. They keep them informed of activities, learning and their children's next steps through daily feedback, parents' evenings and open days. However, parents are not always helped to understand how they can support children's learning at home.
• Staff offer children a variety of experiences. They enjoy forest school activities in the local woods and grow vegetables in the community garden. Children learn to care for the nursery pets. They feed the chickens and help clean the guinea pigs' cage. The manager has recently invited parents to talk to children about bees and beekeeping. Local artists have visited the nursery, and the children visit the local museum, enjoying a variety of art activities. As a result, children gain good knowledge and understanding about the world they live in.
• The manager completes regular supervision and one-to-one meetings with the staff. She reviews their training needs, well-being and children's progress. The manager consistently evaluates staff performance and the quality of care and education children receive. Staff say that they feel well supported. They comment that they feel confident in approaching the manager with any issues, professional or personal.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further develop teaching to make sure staff always allow children sufficient time to process and respond to questions, giving them opportunities to work things out for themselves and extend their learning
• provide more opportunities for parents to fully understand how to support and enrich their children's learning at home.