Robins Nest Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are eager to play and learn at this friendly and welcoming nursery. Staff work hard to ensure children are emotionally secure from the start. Parents join their child for gradual settling-in sessions to help children adjust to the new environment. Children choose their own key person who continues to support their transition into nursery. Staff gather information from parents to help them to understand children's needs from the outset. Children form close bonds with staff. They readily approach them for cuddles, support and reassurance when needed. Babies receive nurturing and dedicated care.

Staff encourage children to develop independence. Children hang up their coats and bags. They choose and peel their own fruit at snack time and serve their own food at lunchtime. Staff have high expectations for children. They provide breakable crockery, glass and adult utensils for children to use and play with. Children know to handle these with care and use them safely and skilfully.

Children behave well. Staff support them to follow the simple nursery rules. When older children demonstrate positive behaviour, staff reward them by entering their name in a weekly prize draw. Children are keen to sit well, listen and tidy away toys at the end of the session.

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

• The nursery is led by a strong management team. Staff feel valued and supported in their role. Leaders support staff to gain higher level qualifications to enhance their skills. Overall, the quality of teaching is good. Most staff demonstrate strong teaching strategies to engage children and extend their learning. The manager recognises that increasing the training and supervision for newer staff will help raise the quality of teaching to a consistently higher level.
• Staff get to know children very well. They carry out regular observations and assessments of children's achievements. Staff have a good understanding about what children know and can do. They work well with other professionals to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff use their knowledge about children to plan effectively for what children need to learn next. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning.
• Staff provide a wealth of interesting activities to engage and motivate children to learn. They focus on children's current interests and experiences. For example, children make flags and bunting following the start of a European football competition. Staff encourage children to decorate their own football shirts and make England flags. Children delight as they recall watching the England team win their first match the night before.
• Children play cooperatively with their friends. Staff provide consistent support to help them to learn to share and take turns. Children wait patiently for their turn to climb the steps to the slide. Staff remind children to share materials and resources. They model good manners and children routinely say, 'please' and 'thank you'.
• Staff place a high priority on promoting strong physical skills. Staff gently hold hands and guide the youngest children as they walk and balance across wooden beams outside. Children thoroughly enjoy running and playing on wheeled toys. Small-muscle skills develop as children use tools, such as scissors and pincers with increasing skill.
• Parents comment very positively on the care their children receive. Staff talk to parents daily and share information on an electronic app about children's care and learning. This helps to establish continuity of care and learning. Staff work with parents to implement robust procedures to promote children's dietary and health needs.
• Staff support children to develop their communication. They engage children in songs, narrate what they are doing and model language for children. However, at times, staff do not fully enhance children's speaking skills. For example, staff sometimes repeat what children have said or do not give children the chance to respond to questions to fully extend their speaking skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop opportunities to extend children's speaking skills even further
• increase the supervision and training in place for newer staff to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently higher level.