Playdor Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

At the heart of this caring setting is the understanding that building warm and trusting relationships supports children to progress well. Welcoming and friendly staff allow children to separate confidently from their parents and carers. Staff provide a calm and enticing environment for children to develop their individuality. Children independently access activities of their own choosing. Staff provide children with valuable experiences to learn about the community. They take children on various local outings. Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this vibrant and nurturing setting. Staff support children's emotional well-being well. Children demonstrate they feel safe and happy.

Children access a curriculum that staff design with a shared vision of ensuring that children are safe, happy and making progress. There is a loving atmosphere in the setting, which supports children to develop positive attitudes towards their learning and behaviour. Staff are encouraging and help to build children's resilience. Children play hoopla in the garden and negotiate climbing structures. They persevere when challenges arise, such as how to get over the top or missing the target. Children are proud when they succeed. Staff teach children about politeness, respect and the importance of being kind and caring towards their friends. Staff are good role models. They speak calmly when children need support and give praise for children's efforts. Children understand the expectations for their behaviour. They play harmoniously together and behave well.

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

• The key-person system is effective. Staff gather vital information from parents before children start, including what children already know and can. They seek to understand children's different home lives and how they can meet their needs. Staff build on this information and incorporate children's interests into their plans. This ensures that children's individual learning needs are met.
• Children access a broad and balanced curriculum. Staff plan engaging experiences and activities. Leaders analyse information to monitor children's progress precisely. They quickly identify and monitor any gaps in children's learning. Staff share these with parents and quickly seek suitable support from outside agencies as needed. Children make good progress from their starting points in development.
• Staff engage children in natural and meaningful interactions to support their communication and language development. They use visuals to communicate in an inclusive way and promote mealtimes as social occasions. Staff sing nursery rhymes and read with babies. Older children listen to favourite stories and join in with phrases. Children are confident communicators.
• The setting quickly identifies the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children with SEND are well supported and benefit from the same opportunities as their peers. Leaders use additional funding appropriately to meet children's needs. For instance, staff identify and purchase resources to help children to make progress towards their goals. The provision for children with SEND is good.
• Parent partnerships are a fundamental part of the setting's nurturing ethos. Parents speak highly of the setting and staff. They value the communication and activities that staff suggest to complete at home with their children. Parents feel fully included in their children's development, progress and achievements. This regular communication supports a two-way flow of information-sharing to meet children's needs.
• The setting promotes healthy eating. Leaders ensure that children eat nutritiously balanced, healthy meals and snacks. Children talk about foods that are healthy and unhealthy for them and about their likes and dislikes. This supports children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle.
• Staff provide many opportunities for children to be physically active throughout the day. Older children benefit from regular swimming lessons. They learn about water safety and develop their confidence. Staff use weekly physical education sessions to provide children with the opportunity to further develop their physical, listening and concentration skills. Children's physical skills are good.
• Leaders are responsive to staff's well-being. Staff feel valued and their morale is high. There are regular opportunities to discuss and review practice, and leaders complete staff supervision sessions. However, these are not consistently focused on improving staff's individual knowledge and skills. For instance, staff do not always recognise that asking open-ended questions encourages more discussions. As a result, on some occasions, children do not fully engage in their learning and the intended curriculum is not implemented.
• Staff plan and provide group times. However, staff do not always adapt their teaching or consider the size of groups to enable all children to access the curriculum. For instance, during larger-group times, some children find it more difficult to settle and engage in their learning and therefore do not consistently benefit from what staff are teaching.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus supervision sessions more sharply on improving staff's individual knowledge and skills further to implement the curriculum more consistently
• plan group times more carefully, taking account of children's ages and stages of development.