Portico Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

A passionate and highly committed staff team cares for the children. Staff provide a fun and interesting curriculum and create a busy, exciting and nurturing environment for children. This ignites children's curiosity and thirst for learning. Staff take the time to get to know the children. Parents say their children are eager to come to nursery to see the staff and their friends. Staff listen to children and plan activities around their interests. As a result, children are engrossed in the activities about rockets and the book 'Whatever Next!' The children talk about what they are doing and use exciting language such as 'zoom' and 'whoosh' to describe how the rockets move.

Children enjoy the opportunities to work collaboratively with their friends. For example, children offer advice and guidance as they build with cardboard boxes and recycled materials. They cheer in delight when they achieve their goal. Staff build secure bonds with children. This means children have a strong sense of belonging. For example, children go to staff for reassurance when they are unsettled. Overall, children learn to take turns and to share the resources. Staff support children to understand their own feelings and emotions. This builds children's confidence and helps them feel a sense of pride in their achievements. Staff effectively support children to gain independence and self-care skills. Consequently, children confidently see to their own toileting needs and are eager to try things for themselves, such as pouring their own drinks.

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

• The managers and staff have devised a personalised, well-balanced and carefully sequenced curriculum. Effective assessment systems mean staff successfully identify what children know and can do and plan the next steps in their learning. This enables all children to make steady and sustained progress.
• Staff provide children with good levels of praise and encouragement. Overall, staff provide clear explanations to children. This helps them to make friendships, cooperate with others and resolve conflicts. However, there are inconsistencies. For example, staff do not always explain to children why they should not do something or should use 'kind hands'. This does not help children to be able to change their behaviour and understand how their actions affect others.
• Children's communication and language development is a key strength of the nursery. Staff are skilled communicators who use every opportunity to introduce new vocabulary to children. As a result, all children, including those who are nonverbal, become confident communicators.
• Staff foster children's creativity and imagination. Children delight in moulding dough and use a variety of resources to create their 'aliens' and 'rockets'. They use glue sticks and tweezers with increasing control to attach the pom-poms and glitter strips. This helps children develop the coordination and muscles that they need for early writing.
• Staff help children to develop an understanding of mathematics. For instance, staff count the steps as babies walk up them. Staff talk to older children about a range of shapes, such as oval and cylinder, as they play. As a result, children develop an awareness of number and shape.
• Staff value the importance of children being fit and well. Staff encourage children to take part in completing the 'daily mile'. Children confidently use an array of wheeled resources, such as wheelbarrows to transport leaves, with increasing control. These activities help children to develop their physical skills.
• Staff help children to learn about maintaining their good health and hygiene. Children understand the importance of washing their hands after going to the bathroom and before eating meals. Children notice the difference in their bodies after exercising. For example, they talk about their heart beating fast and the need to drink water and eat healthy foods. Consequently, children learn to keep themselves healthy.
• Staff provide highly effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They are tenacious and work tirelessly with professionals and parents to ensure children get the right support. The creation of personalised curriculums means that children are supported to make the best possible progress.
• Partnership working is a strength. Parents say that their children are thriving. Staff work tirelessly to build relationships with parents to engage them in the nursery and their child's learning and development. This effective communication helps to support children for the next stages in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently implement the nursery's behaviour management strategies.