Queensberry Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children build strong bonds with warm, caring staff, who value each child highly. Staff help children to feel secure and settle well. For instance, they carefully follow babies' routines from home to meet their needs and support their well-being. Staff have high expectations of children and manage their behaviour effectively. For example, they share group rules with children and use praise to promote their positive behaviour successfully.

The curriculum is broad, balanced and interesting. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress. Children gain a good understanding about the world. For instance, staff regularly take children to local museums. They teach children about the lifestyles of different animals, such as polar bears, dinosaurs and kangaroos. Staff plant and grow seeds with children to teach them how things grow.

Children develop good early mathematical skills and sing number songs with staff. Staff teach children the names of different shapes, including three-dimensional shapes, as children play matching games. Children learn about difference in effective ways, such as through learning about different religious events, including Eid and Diwali. Staff provide children with toys, books and resources that reflect a diversity of cultures and races.

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

• Children learn to carry out tasks for themselves. For example, they scrape and put away their plates at lunchtime and help to put away their bed linen after resting. Staff teach children how to put on their coats and shoes. Children learn to share and to take turns well. For instance, they take turns to select objects during group games.
• Staff teach children effective communication, language and literacy skills. For instance, they use pictures of interesting objects to teach children new words, such as 'tiara' and 'mammal'. Staff organise games where children describe the items they select from a box. They read books and sing songs with children, and they help children to learn new words.
• Children gain good physical coordination skills. For example, they play a range of organised, challenging group ball games led by a sports coach. Staff take children to the local park each day, where they practise their running, jumping, balancing and climbing skills.
• Staff support children's creative development well. For example, children enjoy making play dough and create their own models using a range of tools. Babies and older children enjoy a range of sensory experiences, such as observing moving liquid in clear tubes and feeling shiny rounded metal objects.
• Staff have effective partnerships with parents. They provide parents with regular updates on their children's progress through, for example, secure electronic messaging and daily conversations. Parents of babies also receive written daily diaries containing information on babies' routines and development. Staff work well with parents to support children's development, such as around supporting their children's behaviour and potty training.
• The manager supports staff well. She meets with staff individually and regularly to discuss their work and offer support where needed. The manager offers regular opportunities for staff to develop their skills and knowledge. For instance, staff have attended courses on supporting children with autism and on managing children's behaviour. This has led to improved outcomes for children.
• The manager reflects on all aspects of practice in the nursery and sets goals to improve outcomes for children. For example, she plans to enhance staff's understanding of the more challenging aspects of children's behaviour.
• Staff keep children safe. They carry out robust risk assessments covering all parts of the nursery and outings, to protect children from harm. The manager carries out comprehensive background checks on staff to ensure that they are suitable for their roles.
• The nursery chef provides a very well-balanced diet for children. However, staff have not developed ways to support children's understanding of the value of eating well.
• Overall, staff interact well with children and support and extend their play. However, at times, staff do not give children enough time to think and respond to questions, such as when staff question children about objects they have made during creative activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give children more time to think and respond to questions to support their thinking skills further
• develop children's understanding of the value of eating well.