Playhouse Community Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, engaged and show that they feel safe and secure. They show that they build good bonds with staff. Children follow instructions to sit for small-group time or for a story, and seek out staff when they need help or reassurance. Staff act as good role models for children. They are kind and approachable. Children build good levels of self-esteem and behave well, receiving lots of praise for their efforts and achievements. Staff provide a calm environment, with clear expectations for children's behaviour. Children benefit from this consistent approach.

Children become independent learners, developing skills for life. For example, in the baby room, children learn to feed themselves from an early age. They continue to develop these skills as they move on to each stage in the nursery. Children develop their coordination and balance during physical play. For example, toddlers are supported to engage is risky play as they climb and jump from climbing equipment. Pre-school children carefully walk along the balance beams. Children develop strong hand muscles, as they use pipettes to transfer coloured water from one container to another.

Children's language acquisition is good. Staff support their communication skills through a range of methods including using puppets, songs and Makaton signing in the baby room, and this follows through to pre-school. Children become confident talkers.

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

• The manager and staff have a good overview of the curriculum. There are effective systems for monitoring children's progress. Any gaps in children's learning are identified early. There is good, individualised support in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work in partnership with other providers and professionals to share information about children's development to help them make good progress.
• Staff identify and plan for children's interests and patterns in their play; for example, children eagerly measure water as they fill different containers, and engage in experiments as they make rain clouds in jars. However, staff do not recap on their teaching to check what children already know and their understanding, in order to build on their learning.
• Children's developing communication and language skills are supported well by staff. They introduce new words as children play, which helps to build on children's vocabulary and understanding. They give children time to think and respond to questions. Babies enjoy interacting with puppets during a puppet show. Pre-school children and some toddlers are keen to ask questions. Children enjoy regular music sessions as part of a project the nursery is involved in. This supports children's language development as they sing along to songs, and listening skills, as they listen to the beat and different sounds of the instruments.
• Staff provide children with a variety of activities which they are eager to join in with. Overall, staff deliver good interactions with children, who make steady progress from their starting points. However, staff do not effectively communicate with each other regarding where they are needed to best support children. Therefore, some children are unsure of what is happening, and others do not fully benefit from the learning on offer.
• Staff introduce mathematical language into children's play and learning. Children enjoy measuring ingredients as they make play dough. Children count as they jump in the garden. Staff introduce mathematical language, such as 'full', 'empty' and 'half full', as they explore different weights of containers.
• Parents speak positively about the nursery, and comment on how supportive and approachable the manager and staff are. They share that they receive good communication, which provides information about their children's learning and suggestions and resources to help their learning at home.
• Staff supervision and support is effective. The manager ensures that regular discussions and meetings enable staff to identify their own strengths and areas for improvement. Following training, staff confidently embed newly acquired skills and knowledge into their practice. This has a positive impact on children's learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recap on what children already know to check their understanding, particularly during focus activities
• continue to develop staff's communication with each other to ensure that they are supporting children effectively.