Puffins at Manston Terrace

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

On arrival, children happily run into the nursery and greet their friends before independently putting away their belongings. Providers have created a home-from-home environment which supports children to feel safe and secure. Staff have strong bonds with children. Throughout the day, they offer regular reassurance and cuddles. Children new to the nursery settle quickly into the group. Staff recognise the positive impact secure bonds have on a child's learning and development. Staff visit children's homes before they attend the nursery to further create a strong link between the nursery and home.

The curriculum is good and children are well prepared for the next stage of learning. Staff support children well to learn to handle a range of tools in preparation for early handwriting. Toddlers develop hand strength and coordination as they transfer sand and water between different-sized containers. Staff support older children to learn early mathematical concepts as they draw and name different shapes, such as triangles and squares.

Children of all ages, including babies, enjoy regular trips to local parks and woodland with staff, to develop a love of the outdoors and a sense of belonging in the local community. Staff take pre-school children to visit food shops. They buy ingredients to cook cakes with, developing social and decision-making skills. Staff support children to explore charity shops to understand the importance of reusing or recycling items to help protect the planet.

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

• Staff nurture children to develop a love of books and stories. They guide children to understand and explore the world around them. Staff encourage children to develop their own stories, which staff write down. They guide children to act these stories out on a pretend stage, developing their confidence and creative skills. Staff in the toddler room read in an interesting way and children are engaged. Staff guide children to explore a sack filled with items linked to the book, further supporting their understanding of the story and promoting interaction.
• Staff have a good understanding of child development. Children of all ages make good progress in their learning and development. However, staff in the pre-school are sometimes distracted by other events and do not always teach group activities successfully, meaning older children do not receive the challenge they need during these times.
• Children are supported by staff to develop their independence and self-care skills. For example, children of all ages are guided to use a warm cloth to wipe their hands and face before mealtimes. Children, including young toddlers, use cutlery to eat their lunch, developing hand strength and coordination. Staff guide children to serve themselves their meals and put leftover food in a bin afterwards.
• Staff support children to develop their language and communication skills well. Children speak with confidence and sign language is widely used by children of all ages and staff. Young children enjoy discussing which song they will choose from the 'song sack' and confidently sing along to nursery rhymes. However, during interactions, staff in the pre-school do not always support older children to explore their ideas and interests even further.
• Parents are positive about the care children receive in the nursery. They report that communication is effective and that relationships with staff are strong. Parents recommend the nursery to others. Parents feel supported by staff in childcare matters, for example toilet training. Staff regularly send home learning packages and provide online educational resources for parents to access and extend learning to the home.
• Children of all ages are kind and listen well. They respond eagerly to requests, for example tidying toys away before lunch. Behaviours are positive. However, sometimes, when children experience a difficult situation, for example when sharing toys or waiting in a line, staff do not always give consistent messages to support children to understand how their behaviour impacts on others.
• Staff enjoy working in the nursery and report that they feel supported by the rest of the team and the provider. The provider offers staff opportunities to undertake a wide range of training opportunities. The knowledge gained is integrated effectively into the nursery. For example, staff recently undertook training to develop children's literacy skills, which inspired staff to introduce new book-led activities in the nursery. This has had a positive impact on children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the planning of group activities to ensure that older children receive further challenge
• extend back-and-forth interactions to support older children to explore their ideas and interests even further
• develop behaviour management strategies further to support children to understand how their behaviour impacts on others.