Rosedene Guisborough

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled and demonstrate they feel comfortable with staff. Children seek comfort and reassurance from staff, who are friendly and caring. The nursery provides lots of resources and activities, which promote children's curiosity. Children take part in beach school and forest school. The setting also has links with a local residential home and children have visited this. This supports children to gain an understanding of their local community and surroundings.

Children have lots of opportunities to be physically active. There are climbing frames and apparatus for children to practise their gross motor skills. Older children can move freely in large open spaces. Children's independence is supported from a young age. Babies are helped to put on their wellington boots and toddlers wash their faces after mealtimes. Staff support children to develop the use of their senses. For example, babies are developing their sense of smell by smelling different herbs, such as rosemary. Children behave well and follow boundaries that are in place.

There is an effective key-person system in place and staff know the children well. They plan activities that they know will interest and excite them. As a result, children make good progress, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

• Staff use every opportunity to develop children's mathematical skills. Staff discuss the numbers on a telephone with babies. Older children are encouraged to solve problems. For example, during an activity, children are asked how many more of an item they need to make the required number. Numbers are available within children's play and the environment, which supports their recognition of numbers.
• On the whole, communication and language skills are well supported. Staff explain what words mean if they have not come across them before. For example, a member of staff takes the time to explain the word 'skeleton'. Generally speaking, staff respond to children in a way which promotes their language skills, however, this is not consistent. Staff do not always model the correct name of objects.
• Children attend settling-in sessions prior to starting at the nursery. This means they settle quickly and get used to their new surroundings. Transitions are well supported throughout the nursery. Children visit their new room with their key person. There are good links with local schools children also attend. Learning which takes place at school is continued within the nursery setting.
• Routines are well established, so children are aware of what happens next.
• However, occasionally, daily routines do not provide the maximum amount of learning opportunities. For example, lunch in the toddler room is not well organised and children wait for long periods of time.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery and are happy with the care and education their children receive. The setting keeps parents informed about what their children are doing throughout the day through an online application. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have dropped off and collected their children at the main door. This is something which has worked well for the setting and has continued.
• The special educational needs coordinator has a good understanding of the referral processes to ensure that the relevant support can be sought as required. The setting works effectively with several other professionals, such as Portage workers, social workers and health visitors. Ongoing assessments are completed to ensure children continue to make good progress and to identify any gaps in learning.
• The manager has a good oversight of staff's training needs. The manager ensures that training is made available for staff to support them to care for children with SEND. Staff report a good level of well-being and feel well supported by the management team.
• The setting has failed to notify Ofsted of a change in directors, which is a breach of statutory requirements. However, this does not have an impact on the safeguarding or learning and development of children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's knowledge of the importance of modelling words correctly
• enhance daily routines to maximise learning opportunities and ensure children are not waiting for extended periods of time.