Purbrook Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed by nurturing staff who know each child's uniqueness particularly well. They quickly settle and are excited to delve into a variety of activities that have been thoughtfully planned by staff. Children benefit from the ambitious curriculum that staff provide. Staff plan enriching, stimulating experiences, as well as entwining children's interests throughout daily activities. As a result, children sustain interest during their explorations and do not give up when things provide them with challenge. For instance, staff skilfully role model the use of pipettes during a water activity. Children watch in awe, and excitedly attempt to use them themselves. Staff provide encouragement and gentle support when needed, talking children through the process of 'squeezing' and 'letting go' to suck up the water. Children persist, and delight when they achieve this new skill.

Staff provide ample opportunities for children to develop their confidence and gain independence. For example, older children safely cut their own fruit and pour their own drinks for snack. Furthermore, when they have finished, they independently wash up their own plates and cups. Children show delight in having their own responsibilities. This helps children to learn life skills that will help them achieve future success.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and, as such, children behave well. They take turns, seek out friends to share experiences with and problem-solve together. Children who find it difficult to understand their own emotions are well supported by staff. Staff apply a consistent and calm approach to supporting children to resolve any minor conflicts. Children have access to their own 'Marvellous me' books which contain pictures of themselves, family and friends. They are proud of these and freely access them, often sharing them with friends. This supports children to develop a positive sense of belonging.

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

• The enthusiastic manager and staff work very well together. The manager understands the importance of good communication with staff. Effective, regular supervision is in place to support staff. They have access to regular training opportunities which capture their individual passions. For instance, the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is given targeted training to assist her in her role.
• All staff plan and deliver a well-thought-out curriculum that includes meaningful experiences across all areas of the early years foundation stage. Staff know what skills children have learned. They have high, but appropriate, expectations of what they want children to learn next. Together, they work to plan and sequence learning for each child to support them to make their own individual progress.
• Generally, interactions between staff and children are strong. For example, staff understand the importance of developing children's communication and language skills. Younger children are exposed to purposefully modelled language and opportunities to join in with familiar rhymes and songs. Staff are interactive in their expressions and gestures, which babies gravitate to. Older children's vocabulary is enriched by back-and-forth conversations and in hearing new words such as 'pestle and mortar'. Staff use effective questioning to enable children to pause, think and respond to new thought processes. However, sometimes, not all staff identify and build on children's interests during play. This means, at times, not all staff extend children's thinking as fully as possible. This does not consistently encourage children's curiosities in new experiences in order to extend their learning.
• Children's good health is promoted well. They have daily access to physical play, receive healthy meals and snacks, and staff promote positive hygiene routines that are instilled into each day. Babies have access to a carefully planned environment where they can crawl, cruise furniture and move safely. Older children freely access the outdoors. They run, climb and peddle bicycles. This supports children's development of their core muscles. Furthermore, children have opportunities to develop small-muscle skills, such as using scissors to cut home-grown herbs. This supports children to develop the dexterity needed to promote early writing skills.
• Staff support children's early mathematical development well. Younger children copy staff as they use early numbers during play and in familiar songs. Older children have opportunities to expand their knowledge of mathematics. For instance, they cut carrots and measure them, estimating which one is longer or shorter. Furthermore, staff weave mathematical language such as 'lots', 'less', 'full' and 'empty' during play as well as planned activities.
• Staff take the time to get to know children and their families through flexible settling-in sessions. They effectively monitor children's progress and are prompt in identifying any difficulties they may have. Staff are proactive and work in partnership with parents, seeking additional support as needed. The passionate SENCo works alongside other staff, tailoring strategies to ensure children's individual needs are met. They work alongside external agencies to ensure timely referrals are made if needed, working in collaboration with a range of other professionals. This ensures that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make progress from their individual starting points.
• Partnership with parents is strong. The manager and staff work hard to support good communication with parents. Thought is put into engaging parents in a variety of different ways, such as parents' evenings, home learning packs and a 'lending library' of familiar books. Staff communicate successfully with parents through personalised daily handovers as well as entries via an online app. Parents particularly value the nurturing, caring relationships staff develop with children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to consistently recognise opportunities that arise from children's interests and extend children's thinking skills further to enhance their learning.