Rhymes Nursery (Dudley)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Babies and children are happy and settled in the care of the staff, who are attentive and nurturing towards the children. Babies enjoy cuddles from staff and older children thoroughly enjoy playing chasing games with staff outdoors. Staff have high expectations of children. Children understand the rules and boundaries, and they behave well. Toddlers wait patiently with staff, so they can descend the outdoor steps safely, one at a time.

Children are very interested in books and print. Pre-school children enjoy sharing their personalised books and talking about their family. They read logos confidently and know that these represent individual restaurants, streaming services and toy brands. Younger children recall scenes from familiar stories and recreate these. For example, they mix plastic ants and beetles in a cauldron to make a potion. They enjoy reading books to themselves and with staff.

Children progress well with their communication and language development. Babies respond to sounds around them. They listen attentively when staff sing to them and move their hands in time to the music. Pre-school children express their good ideas articulately. For example, they pretend they are escaping from a volcano and explain that they are safe because they are wearing 'lava boots'.

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

• Overall, leaders provide staff with effective supervision, coaching and training to improve their teaching skills. For example, they have fully supported staff to complete further qualifications. However, the manager does not monitor staff practice as thoroughly as possible to identify where they need further support to extend their teaching skills further.
• Staff have a good knowledge of their key children. They make effective use of their observations of children and discussions with parents to monitor children's progress. Overall, staff plan well to ensure that children's learning experiences succeed in helping them to build on what they already know and can do, and reflect their interests. For example, pre-school children become engrossed in the role-play corner as they recreate familiar roles and experiences. However, staff do not plan all areas of the learning environment as well as possible to fully challenge and motivate children to learn.
• The manager and staff work closely with outside agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They implement effective interventions to ensure that children are well supported to achieve their development milestones. Staff use a range of effective strategies to support children with communication and language delay.
• Staff support children's physical development well. For example, they provide non-mobile babies with opportunities to experience time on their stomachs to help build strength in their muscles. Two-year-old children learn how to use a range of tools, such as tongues to serve their food and how to use a knife, and fork at mealtimes. Pre-school children concentrate as they exercise their hands to music while squashing play dough.
• Children gain good levels of independence and learn to manage their personal care routines well. Staff recognise when children need additional time to succeed in a task independently, such as dressing in their outdoor clothes. Children are aware of their physical needs, such as being tired or thirsty.
• Staff promote children's good health successfully. Children enjoy the nutritious home-cooked food and healthy snacks. Staff are fully aware of children's dietary requirements and follow effective systems to ensure that children's needs are met well. Water is readily available for children to access. Children benefit from many opportunities to be physically active outdoors.
• Parent partnership working is strong. The manager and staff value the partnership working they have with parents and prioritise this from the onset. For example, they take time to meet with children and their families during a home visit before children start. Parents say how staff keep them well informed about their children's care routines, learning and experiences at the nursery, including details of any accidents children have.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend the arrangements for monitoring staff to identify where their practice can be extended even further and to inform plans for training
• enhance the planning for children's learning environments, so that these accurately reflect the provider's ambitious curriculum and fully motivate children.