Railway Children Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have a strong sense of belonging. They happily enter the setting, where they are welcomed in by nurturing staff. Children are developing key skills for school by following routines. For example, they hang up their belongings and find their name to self-register when they arrive. The well-established key-person system and the bespoke settling-in process help children make strong and secure attachments. Staff gather key information from parents before their children start at the nursery. They use this information to develop a well-sequenced curriculum.

Leaders set high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children with gaps in their learning are quickly identified and referred swiftly to other professionals. Staff have a good understanding of what they want children to learn. They plan engaging play opportunities to build on what children already know and can do. Laughter and excitement echo through the nursery as children have fun. For example, they enjoy exploring pumpkins using spoons to scoop the inside out. Staff introduce words, such as 'sticky', 'scoop' and 'smooth', as children play to develop their vocabulary.

Children behave well and demonstrate kindness. Staff remind children of the behaviour expectations and encourage them to share and take turns. This helps children to understand what is expected of them and contributes positively to their attitude to learning. Children willingly follow instructions and complete simple tasks, such as helping tidy up toys for lunch.

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

• Leaders are highly ambitious, and this is reflected in the care they provide. Many of the staff have worked at the setting for several years and comment on how much they enjoy being part of the close-knit team. Staff are supported effectively with supervision sessions and receive regular training opportunities to further develop their skills. For example, staff explain how recent training about loose parts has helped them to support children's imagination and extend their play.
• Leaders work in close partnership with other settings the children attend. They visit the other settings and share information with key persons about children's preferred ways of learning. This helps to promote continuity in care and learning.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's day and their next steps in learning. This helps parents to support their child's continued learning at home. Parents describe the nursery as 'a wonderful and nurturing setting' that is 'a home from home'.
• Children enjoy local walks in the community, helping them become aware of the world they live in. Staff use these experiences to immerse children in the surrounding nature. For instance, they take small groups of children to hunt for natural resources, such as conkers. This helps children to develop a good knowledge of the natural world around them.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. They engage in meaningful conversation and introduce new language. For example, as children hunt for dinosaurs hidden in sand, staff introduce new mathematical vocabulary, such as 'small', 'medium' and 'big'. However, staff do not consistently consider children's stages of development when speaking to them. For example, on occasion, they use long and complex sentences and questions, which some children find difficult to understand and respond to.
• Staff teach children the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy a healthy snack menu and discussions take place as they are encouraged to think about what foods are good for their bodies. Staff discuss with children the importance of drinking water to stay hydrated. This helps children learn the importance of staying healthy.
• Staff help children to learn how to keep themselves safe, such as by following good hygiene routines and by taking part in regular fire drills. However, staff have not extended this to promote children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe when they use online devices. This does not fully support children to develop an understanding of how to manage risks.
• Children show perseverance and resilience as they continue to negotiate difficult tasks through trial and error. For instance, they develop their fine motor skills as they use tweezers to move sensory objects from one bowl to another. Staff encourage children with words of praise. Children show pride in accomplishing what they have set out to do. This helps to build confidence and high self-esteem.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on the support for children's communication and language development
• develop the curriculum to ensure that children have opportunities to learn how to stay safe online.