Riverside Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily enter the nursery and settle with support from the welcoming staff. They quickly immerse themselves in a variety of activities and welcome the involvement of staff. Staff form strong bonds with children and quickly recognise when they need emotional reassurance such as cuddles. Children's behaviour is good. They demonstrate positive behaviours, such as sharing and taking turns, which are modelled by the calm and friendly staff. Children's efforts and achievements are praised by staff, which helps to build their confidence.

Children actively engage in a varied range of activities throughout the day. They develop their physical skills and use their coordination to dig in the sand and ride their scooters. Inside, children expand their creative skills through craft activities, such as painting and role play hairdressers, which helps their imaginations flourish. They enjoy looking at books independently and ask staff to read them stories throughout the day. Children who speak English as an additional language are given opportunities to speak and listen in small groups, which helps them to practise and understand new words.

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

• The nursery remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The manager and staff understand the long-term impact that the pandemic has had on children's development, specifically on speech and language. Therefore, children's language and communication are a top priority. Staff provide a language-rich environment. They encourage children to talk about what they are doing and use sign language to support their speech.
• Staff plan a curriculum that evolves around children's current interests and their next steps of learning. A varied range of experiences build on what children know and can do. While children are well engaged in planned activities, staff are not always clear how these support children's individual learning needs. This means they do not always consistently challenge and extend children's individual development.
• Children learn about the world around them. They plant seeds in springtime and talk about how they grow. Children enjoy going for walks and exploring the woods, using opportunities to re-enact 'The Gruffalo' story. Mathematical language is woven throughout activities. For example, children compare the size of cress and apple seeds. They then count how many seeds they have using a magnifying glass.
• Children are beginning to learn skills in preparation for school. At registration they find their own name card and place it with their key person's photo. They take part in morning registration where they talk about themselves and listen to others. Staff teach children the importance of being healthy and to follow good hygiene routines as they support children to wash their hands before snack time. However, staff do not always encourage children to further develop their independence. For example, they do not consistently teach children to put on their own coats or pour their own drinks.
• The manager supports staff well. She is focussed on further developing the whole team who are undertaking a range of training, including becoming a communication-friendly setting. Staff have supervision meetings to discuss their workload and personal development opportunities. Regular meetings are held where they discuss their key children, safeguarding and training.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery and comment that their children are keen to attend. They feel well supported and appreciate the useful communication systems in place. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) describe how supportive and dedicated staff are in ensuring their needs are met. Staff work with parents and outside agencies to ensure that appropriate strategies are effectively used. This supports children to take part in daily routine activities.
• Additional funding is put to good use. Children take part in additional sessions such as lunch and breakfast clubs, which helps them to settle into a calm environment. Funding is also used towards new resources that children take home to continue their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff knowledge of curriculum planning to sharply focus on learning intentions for each child
• develop strategies for all staff to consistently teach and challenge children to develop independence skills and do more things for themselves.