Randolph Beresford Early Years Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this welcoming nursery. They are warmly greeted by the staff on arrival and receive lots of reassurance if they are upset. These positive interactions support children's emotional well-being and help them to develop strong attachments. Children generally demonstrate good behaviour and follow the nursery routines well. They learn to share and to be kind to others. The nursery is inclusive and welcomes staff and children from a diverse range of backgrounds. Children enjoy sharing their experiences from home and happily celebrate special events together. This helps them to understand and respect their similarities and differences.

Staff plan the activities carefully, with children's individual needs in mind. They have high expectations for all children. Leaders use additional funding effectively, to help children access the curriculum. For example, children are provided with special resources or one-to-one learning support. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They explore the vibrant indoor and outdoor areas with curiosity and confidence. Children spend extended periods building with construction toys. They develop their physical skills as they move and stack the blocks. Children make links with a familiar story as they explain they have created a house for 'Owl Babies'. They use their imaginations to describe the rooms and the characters who live there.

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

• Leaders are reflective and successfully oversee continuous improvement. They have a clear vision for the nursery and how to enhance the outcomes for children. This includes effective supervision and ongoing training for staff. Staff describe strong teamwork and say that they feel supported and valued.
• The support for children's language and communication is a real strength. Staff successfully adapt their teaching and use a wide range of strategies, to promote children's speaking and listening skills. This helps all children, including those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to become confident communicators.
• Leaders and staff ensure that early interventions are in place, to promote children's welfare and give them a positive start to learning. This includes support from other professionals, where appropriate. As a result, all children, including those who receive funding and children with SEND, make rapid progress from their starting points.
• Children are supported with their early independence. For instance, they learn to wash their hands and eat with cutlery. However, staff do not always promote a wider range of personal skills for children who are older or most able. For instance, they do not encourage children to wipe their own noses or serve themselves at mealtimes. Therefore, children do not always acquire skills that they are capable of.
• In general, routines are well organised and support children's care and learning effectively. However, occasionally too many staff are engaged in activities and chores away from the main nursery rooms. The remaining staff are left to supervise children over large areas of the nursery. Consequently, although they are alert to keeping children safe, they are unable to support their play as effectively.
• Staff have a consistently calm and gentle approach with the children. They give clear and consistent explanations to help them understand the rules and boundaries. Where children struggle to regulate their emotions, staff support them to recognise their feelings and find positive ways to express themselves. Therefore, children learn to behave well and play harmoniously together.
• Children thoroughly enjoy their play and focus well on the activities that they choose. For example, children are fascinated as they see staff rolling and spinning hoops. They show high levels of perseverance as they learn how to master these skills.
• Leaders are aware of pressures on parents, such as rises in the cost of living, which may also impact on children's welfare. They actively promote local services, such as food charities and mental health support, to assist parents and help improve children's experiences outside of nursery.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff work hard to engage parents in their children's learning. For instance, they share strategies to help parents support children's behaviour and language skills at home. Parents comment on the many ways that staff help them and their children. They speak of the 'amazing, caring staff' and say their children are safe and well cared for at the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to promote a wider range of personal care skills, especially for older and most-able children
• review and improve the deployment of staff, to provide consistent support for children's learning throughout the daily routines.