Rosedene Northallerton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel happy, safe and secure in this stimulating setting. Due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, staff now greet all children and their families at the nursery's main entrance. Children leave their parents and eagerly seek out exciting activities in their nursery rooms. Children's behaviour is good. Staff encourage children to build friendships with their peers. Children learn to be kind and caring. They share resources, toys and space with each other with ease.

Children demonstrate good levels of confidence and independence as they explore the various resources available to them. They have a wide range of opportunities to develop their physical skills. For instance, older children practise yoga and propel themselves around the garden on tricycles and scooters. Toddlers develop their large muscles as they paint on large pieces of material in the garden. Babies develop their core strength and coordination as they pull themselves to stand with the support of dedicated staff. Children develop their understanding of the world around them. Toddlers investigate herbs such as parsley and basil. They smell them and mix them into water in the mud kitchen. Older children go on nature walks and identify daffodils and snowdrops. Babies excitedly use all of their senses as they explore raspberries and blueberries.

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

• Staff place a strong emphasis on supporting children's communication and language skills. Children foster a love of reading. Pre-school children select their favourite stories to share with their friends. Babies and toddlers excitedly join in action songs and rhymes. Staff engage children in conversation and introduce a wide range of vocabulary. For example, staff explain to children that the teacups are 'fragile'. This helps to promote children's language development.
• There is good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with key staff to develop children's individual learning plans. Staff work in close partnership with a range of professionals to support children to make the best possible progress.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff gather vital information from parents about what children know and can do when they first start at the setting. They share information about children's development and work together with parents to produce children's next steps. Parents comment that they 'could not be happier'.
• Staff promote positive behaviour with children. They give them lots of praise for their achievements, helping to raise their self-esteem. Children understand the expectations of the setting and listen to staff when they need some guidance and support. As a result, children behave well.
• The leadership team has a clear vision of what they want children to learn through their well-designed curriculum. Staff interactions with children are good. They provide children with an exciting range of activities and experiences. However, staff do not always link what they want children to learn to the activities that they provide.
• Children learn to be independent and do simple things for themselves. For example, they help pack away the toys and put on their own coats. Staff teach children good hygiene practices. Older children show high levels of independence with their self-care skills. They know to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet.
• Leaders support staff well. They place a high priority on staff's well-being. Staff access a variety of courses to support their professional development. This has a positive impact on children's learning. Leaders evaluate the provision to identify areas to develop and share best practice with staff. Staff have regular supervision meetings to support them to carry out their role effectively. The leadership team offers a programme of training and support to enable staff to develop their leadership skills.
• Occasionally, staff focus too much on routine tasks and transitions, such as preparing for mealtimes or moving from indoors to outdoors. They do not deploy themselves effectively to support children during these times. This results in some children becoming restless.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on the staff's knowledge of curriculum intent, so they are clear what skills and knowledge they want children to gain from all experiences
• plan transition times more effectively to reduce children's waiting times and to increase their learning opportunities.