Portchester Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the pre-school with excitement and greet the staff with cuddles and smiles. They are sufficiently confident to run to the inspector, eager to find out more about them. This clearly demonstrates that children feel safe at the pre-school. Children find their names and pegs and put their belongings away, which shows a good level of independence and helps children to feel a sense of belonging.

Children choose from a variety of well-planned and challenging activities that staff have prepared for them. For example, children become highly excited when they discover that mixing 'red' and 'blue' makes 'purple'. Their fascination leads to the activity being repeated, with children discussing with their peers how to make the water 'darker' and 'lighter'.

Children have a very good attitude to their learning and develop resilience as they keep on trying with activities, such as putting their shoes on and successfully pulling up a zip for the first time. 'I did it, I did the zip!', they shout with a sense of achievement. Staff praise children for not giving up, which helps to support their confidence and self-esteem. Children benefit from targeted support in areas that have been identified as a focus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Children are particularly well supported in areas such as communication and language, as staff expose them to a range of language through singing familiar songs and rhyme.

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

• Parents speak very highly about the quality of care and education that their children receive at the pre-school. They mention that communication is strong, and they receive daily updates concerning what their children are learning. Parents report that staff have been 'brilliant and reassuring' when children join the pre-school for the first time.
• Staff benefit from leaders who know their skills very well. They are supported to get the most from training opportunities and take part in regular meetings to discuss their workload and well-being. Consequently, staff mention that they feel valued and listened to.
• Children's physical development is actively encouraged. They energetically ride bicycles, climb on apparatus, and reach up high, stretching their muscles as they paint a wall. Staff encourage children to develop good habits, such as handwashing. However, they do not consistently support children to understand the importance of healthy eating during daily routines. As a result, children do not fully understand the impact that healthy and unhealthy food might have on their bodies.
• Leaders have a clear vision of how they would like to develop the pre-school.
• They listen to parents, children and staff, to gather their views. Leaders are passionate about what it is they want children to achieve in their time at the pre-school. For example, they have highlighted the developmental benefits of well-being, language skills and empathy that result from children mixing with elderly adults in the adjacent day-care centre.
• Children play well together. They collaboratively 'dig for treasure' and 'hunt for spiders' in an adult-led outside activity. Children discuss why they should be gentle when they find a worm in the sand. They use words, such as 'careful' and 'kind' as they find a new home for the worm. This demonstrates the high level of respect and consideration that children show to the world around them.
• Adults are very attentive towards individual children, and they know and fulfil their needs well. They are very good role models for behaviour. However, on occasions, such as when children do not listen to important instructions, staff do not always attempt to reinforce the rules or explain why they are in place. Consequently, children are not always learning what is expected of them.
• Adults provide a curriculum that is broad and balanced, which takes into consideration children's play interests. For example, staff ensure that mathematical language is woven into everyday play so that when using scoops, tubes and jugs to transport water, children skilfully adjust the flow and use words such as 'more than' and 'less than'. Children count their jumps as they splash in a puddle and successfully sort toy animals into size order. As a result, children are progressing well in mathematics.
• Funding is used to ensure that children who are in danger of falling behind in their development receive targeted support. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with other professionals, such as health visitors and speech and language therapists, to help children make the best possible progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make the most of everyday routines to help teach children about the importance of healthy eating
• ensure that staff apply clear behaviour rules so that children are aware of them and know what is expected of them.