Rising Stars Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive to nursery happy and excited to enter. Staff have high expectations for children's learning and behaviour. Children behave well. Children are polite and use their manners well. They share and take turns with their friends. They play well together and work together as a team.

Children enjoy the activities and resources provided to them. They are motivated and show good levels of engagement. Children gain a wide range of skills to prepare them for the next stage of their learning. Children thoroughly enjoy being outdoors in their large garden. Older children make up games. They roll large hoops, crawl through tunnels and use the climbing frame to practise their coordination and balance skills. Other children enjoy planting cress and sunflower seeds in their pots. They use spades to fill pots and carefully pinch the seeds and press them down into the soil. Toddlers busily fill the large-play cement mixer with sand and experiment making patterns in the sand tray with different moulds.

During the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, staff continued to support children's learning online. Key persons provided group and one-to-one sessions with children throughout the day. This helped to maintain children's strong bonds with friends and staff.

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

• Staff know the children well. They complete accurate ongoing assessments for children's learning. They talk confidently about where they are in their learning and what they need to do to support their continuing progress. Overall, children develop the key skills needed to be ready for school.
• Staff take prompt action when they identify any gaps in children's learning. They tailor plans, adapt their own practice and make referrals to other professionals to ensure all children receive the support they need. This approach helps to ensure that any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included.
• Children learn about the importance of good health and hygiene routines. They manage their own personal self-care needs, relevant to their age and stage of development. Children are learning about the importance of good oral hygiene through various exciting activities, such as eating a healthy diet and using real toothpaste and toothbrushes to practice cleaning their teeth.
• Staff encourage children to use numbers and count throughout the day. However, staff do not use spontaneous learning opportunities effectively to introduce children to different mathematical concepts and language, to further support them in their play.
• Staff communicate well with children. They model language well and are skilled at capturing their attention. During group circle times, staff make effective use of props, such as tooth brushes, to encourage children's interactions. Children delight in joining in with repetitive action songs and familiar stories. However, at times, staff do not make full use of opportunities that arise for children to use their home languages in their play.
• The provider and staff are committed to providing a good quality care and learning experience for children. Any complaints are managed appropriately. The manager has clear, ambitious plans for the continuous improvement of the nursery. The manager meets with staff regularly to help manage their workload. Staff well-being is fostered, and their professional development is encouraged. The manager cares about the individual needs of the children and their families.
• There are many opportunities throughout the year for parents to become involved with the setting and their child's learning. Parents know what their children are learning and how staff are supporting them. Recently children and their parents took part in a sports day event and a picnic. Parents are very positive about the care their children receive and how well their children are progressing.
• Staff provide many opportunities for children to communicate with each other and work cooperatively. Children form positive friendships with their peers. They behave kindly and know how to express their feelings and emotions. Children understand what is expected of them, listen to staff and follow their instructions willingly.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the curriculum for mathematics to increase the opportunities for children to explore a range of mathematical concepts while they play
• help children to build on and use their home languages in play and learning to strengthen their communication skills to the highest level.