Rafles Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff take great care to get to know every child thoroughly, including before they start, to ensure that they are fully included in what the nursery has to offer. They talk enthusiastically about how children learn and what they like to do. Staff plan activities they know the children will enjoy. Babies use their imaginations as they explore the role-play area. They practise their self-care skills as they dress up in hats and sunglasses. Staff help younger children to express their ideas as they build towers with colourful construction blocks. Older children initiate a game of 'stop and go' as they ride bikes around the pretend road track. Staff patiently show children how to do things. They encourage them to persist and have a go.

Staff act as positive role models, and all children learn to behave well. Staff gently remind babies to use 'kind hands' and role model how to be kind to their friends. Older children show care and compassion towards their friends. They learn to share and cooperate as they play together and take turns. Across the nursery, all children play in a relaxed and calm environment. Staff praise children for their achievements, helping them to feel proud.

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

• Managers have a good overview of the provision. The curriculum is well designed to support children's interests and builds on what they know and can do. As a result, children develop a positive attitude to learning and make good progress across all areas of the curriculum.
• Staff have a good understanding of what they want children to learn. They follow children's interests and plan exciting activities that children are eager to join in with. However, occasionally, staff do not successfully carry out what they have identified they want children to learn next. This means some children do not always benefit from being able to learn as much as possible.
• Staff promote children's independence. They help babies to wash their hands before eating snacks. Staff teach children how to put on their own coats. Staff give verbal cues to older children who are learning to put on their fingered gloves. Children show delight as they master new skills.
• Overall, staff provide good support for children's language and communication skills. They take interest in what older children are saying and ask them questions that prompt children to expand on their thoughts. They narrate what babies are doing and use words with gestures to give context to its meaning. While reading a story, staff ensure that every child gets a chance to talk. However, on occasion, they use children's 'baby' language, so children do not always hear the correct pronunciation of words. In addition, staff read too fast, and children miss the opportunity to hear new vocabulary.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well to reach their full potential. Staff work closely with any professionals involved to provide individual targets. The manager uses funding well to ensure that it helps children to make good progress. For example, the manager enhances staffing ratios to help children access all areas of learning.
• Staff promote children's early mathematics skills well. Young children eagerly join in with number rhymes. Staff talk to older children about the properties of shapes, such as sides, edges and corners. This helps children to identify the key features of shapes. Children are gaining a positive attitude towards early mathematics.
• The manager continually reviews and evaluates what is working well and identifies future developments. Staff attend meetings, share ideas and access regular training. Staff feel well supported and enjoy buying resources to develop their rooms. This helps staff to develop their knowledge further and contributes to children making good progress in their learning.
• Staff keep parents up to date about what their children are doing and learning. They share development reports and include parents in decisions about their children's learning. Parents praise the staff for the wonderful learning opportunities that children have.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop the implementation of planned activities to reflect the identified learning intention for the children taking part
• build on staff's awareness of how to promote children's communication skills, including modelling language, to help children make further progress in their communication and language.