Puddleducks Nursery Chalford CIO

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children thrive in this welcoming nursery. Children are settled, happy and have excellent relationships with the staff, who provide nurturing support to meet children's individual care and learning needs. Staff have a good overview of where children are in their learning, and they implement a curriculum that successfully builds on what children need to learn next. Children thoroughly enjoy their play indoors and outdoors. Staff instinctively offer the encouragement and support the children need to foster their all-round learning. Staff know when to play an active role in children's learning and when to stand back and let them play freely.

Children under two-years-old explore their environment knowing that staff are close by for reassurance as needed. For example, they use their senses to investigate coloured spaghetti, fill containers and post different objects, developing their hand-eye coordination effectively. Children learn to be independent. They make choices in their play and tidy up enthusiastically. Older children put on their coats and manage fastenings.

The children of different ages play well together and develop strong friendships. They learn behavioural expectations and follow instructions well. For example, they line up ready for a walk to the local church. They listen as staff check they know how to stay safe by the road. Children say they must 'look and listen for cars', and they stop as instructed and cross roads safely.

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

• Staff foster children's communication and language development impressively. They model how to use language and narrate play to help toddlers. They use songs, rhymes and stories highly effectively to introduce new words to extend children's vocabulary. As children play, staff ask questions to promote conversations. Older children confidently speak to visitors and share what they enjoy doing at nursery and say that staff are 'really nice'. They use their impressive vocabularies, for example, as they talk about the 'metamorphosis' of caterpillars in to 'chrysalis' and then butterflies. Staff use sign language routinely to help children who find verbal communication more difficult. All children learn basic signs from a young age, including children under two-years-old, who sign 'please' and 'thank you'. Older children also recognise letter sounds and match objects with names that rhyme.
• Staff use every opportunity to teach children mathematical concepts. Staff count, talk about size and shapes and use positional language with all children. They encourage older children to solve problems and complete simple calculations. Older children recognise numerals and shape names, such as 'rhombus'. They count to 10 and beyond and compare groups of objects confidently.
• Children develop their agility. Toddlers gain increasing confidence in walking. They climb and slide on the soft-play structure, with vigilant staff nearby to ensure their safety. Older children play group games where staff encourage them to move in different ways. They demonstrate their ability to jump, hop, spin and move sideways and backwards. Additionally, children propel wheeled toys and learn to pedal tricycles at a young age.
• Children gain an understanding of the world. Staff teach children about growth. Older children plant flowers and herbs. They harvest herbs and use them to make cheese and chive dip, which they enjoyed with bread rolls they baked. Children take turns each day to chop vegetables to make soup. Staff plan some experiences to introduce children to cultural celebrations they can relate to. For example, they hear and join in with the Easter story during a church visit. Children see positive images of diversity displayed at low level around the nursery and in books. However, the curriculum does not actively help children to gain a greater understanding of families and communities beyond their own.
• The management team use funding well to enhance children's learning experiences. They evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and identify staff training needs. For example, they complete training to help children who find transitions and managing their behaviour more difficult. Staff know instinctively when children need extra help to deal with their feelings and frustrations and provide just the right support to help them to regulate their behaviour. They model good manners, foster children's self-esteem and develop children's social skills.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Staff provide daily feedback about children's day using an online app and face-to-face discussions when parents collect their children. Parents can come in for stay-and-play sessions and are invited to join their children for events. For example, many parents accompany their children to the village church for an Easter celebration and show great delight in listening to the children singing songs they have learned.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help children to gain a greater understanding of families and communities beyond their own.