Preston Multicultural Nursery School: First Steps to Learning

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery happy and ready to learn. Those who have been attending for a while leave their parents without a backwards glance, eager to explore the activities on offer. Children who are new and a little unsure are supported by the gentle, caring staff, who take them from parents and reassure them they are going to have a good day. Children behave well and follow staff's guidance and instructions. Children receive support, when needed, to share and take turns. They benefit from activities that are relevant to their own experiences. For instance, toddlers play with baby dolls, which staff have provided due to the number of new siblings in the toddler room.

Children enjoy messy play activities. Younger children focus well as they explore the sand tray, eagerly moving towards this once staff have set it up. Children develop their hand-to-eye coordination as they participate in creative activities. They concentrate as they control the pencils to make marks. Older children talk to visiting adults about what they are drawing, confidently sharing their knowledge about the colours that they use. Children become independent. They learn to feed themselves from a young age, with staff close by to monitor them.

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

• There is a strong focus on developing children's communication and language. Older children show that they know and understand the story about Handa's surprise. Staff use good questioning skills to help children to recall past learning. Toddlers sing and excitedly join in with action songs and rhymes.
• Staff encourage children to learn about similarities and differences and to embrace children's cultures. For example, staff speak a wide variety of languages and are able to engage children in conversations in their home languages and English. This helps children to have a strong sense of belonging.
• The manager is knowledgeable about early years care and education, and she is passionate about the service she provides. She strives to make the nursery the best it can be for the children and families who attend, to support children's learning and development.
• Staff act as good role models. Children learn the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles. For example, during activities, they talk about eating fruit and why this is good for them. Children also develop skills for the future, such as serving themselves at mealtimes. This also helps them to understand about portion control, good manners and sharing.
• Staff give high priority to those children with special educational needs and or/disabilities and those with identified delays in their learning. These children are given support in their day-to-day learning to help them reach their full potential. Key persons work closely with these children and they speak regularly with the parents about their development. This helps to make sure all children are included and receive the support they need to make good progress.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They comment the manager and staff's commitment to not only their child but them as a family too. Parents comment that the manager and staff go to great lengths to meet the needs of their children. This contributes to a learning environment where children and their families are valued.
• The staff ensure that children's physical well-being is closely supported. Children engage in energetic play outdoors. They develop their climbing skills and take safe and controlled risks as they strengthen their balance and coordination. Children safely navigate the space available as they operate wheeled toys with confidence. However, staff miss opportunities to provide a suitable range of challenging opportunities to consistently strengthen younger children's physical development through activities and simple daily routines.
• Staff work well as a team. They have regular meetings to reflect on their practice and the learning experiences they provide for children. The manager makes good use of supervision meetings to support staff's well-being effectively. However, the manager has not yet identified further training and development for staff to help raise their practice to an even higher level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• expand opportunities for younger children to experience a range of challenging physical activities, to further develop their skills
• seek wider training opportunities to further develop staff's skills and knowledge, and raise the quality of teaching to highest levels.