Rosemary Works East

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery excited and ready to learn. Staff provide a warm, friendly and nurturing approach to each child's care. Leaders and staff tailor settling-in sessions to the individual needs of the child and their family. This helps children settle quickly with consistent reassurance from staff to help them to feel safe and secure. Staff prioritise children's well-being. They support children to gain a sense of belonging, grow confidence and self-esteem.

Children flourish while discovering and exploring their environments. Leaders have developed a curriculum that is highly ambitious for every child. Additional activities, such as yoga, forest school sessions and swimming classes enrich further the curriculum. Over time, children develop a range of skills that ensure they are well prepared for their next stage of learning. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make progress from their starting points.

Children behave very well. Staff are excellent role models for children. They promote a positive and respectful culture in the nursery. Staff encourage manners consistently and, as a result, children are polite and courteous to each other. They form positive relationships from a young age.

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

• Leaders and staff have worked extremely hard to make improvements since the previous inspection. Leaders ensure that staff have a comprehensive understanding of their safeguarding roles, responsibilities and the appropriate procedures to follow in the event of any concerns regarding a child or adult, through ongoing training and staff meetings. They maintain a safe and secure environment for children.
• Staff develop children's communication and language skills effectively. Staff use strategies appropriate to the developmental stages of children. For example, they use descriptive language, simple sentences and commentary. This helps children to develop good communication and language skills. In addition, staff introduce mathematical language effectively. For example, staff expose young children to positional language, as they play with cars and tracks. Babies are thrilled to hear a familiar song about five little ducks.
• Leaders give a high priority to developing children's love of books and stories. They ensure that a well-resourced lending library is available to all families. Books are readily accessible for children of all ages. All children enjoy sharing books with staff individually and in groups. Staff bring stories to life through planned activities, such as, 'A bear hunt' in the park. Children develop a love of stories, songs and rhymes.
• Leaders support staff's professional development through regular supervision meetings. Although, they observe staff's practice and training opportunities are discussed, leaders are yet to further sharpen processes to help less confident staff with interactions with children and to enhance their teaching skills and practice to a consistently highest level.
• Staff understand the physical development needs of children and babies. They help babies to pull themselves up onto nursery equipment that is just at the right height. Children develop their core strength, flexibility and coordination skills. This encourages children to explore freely and become confident and physically strong. Staff provide children with fun and exciting activities to help strengthen their small muscles in their hands. These opportunities help to build on the muscles children need, in preparation for their early writing skills.
• Children show positive attitudes towards their learning and are eager to explore and learn. However, occasionally, staff do not fully support all children to engage and focus during large-group activities. Therefore, at times, not all children fully benefit from the learning opportunities offered.
• Leaders and staff have established an inclusive diverse setting where children's unique personalities, cultural backgrounds and their families are celebrated. For example, staff incorporate cultural events and celebrations into their planned learning, such as Pride Month, in which children explore that families are all different.
• Partnership with parents is a strength of the nursery. Parents feel heard and appreciated. They praise welcoming, caring staff and the sense of community the nursery brings. They comment that the nursery is, 'An extension of the family.' They trust that their children are safe, secure, and happy in the nursery environment. This strong partnership plays a crucial role in promoting children's well-being and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to develop the already good practice, supporting less confident staff to consistently develop their interactions with children and their teaching skills to an even higher level
• support staff during group times to engage and focus all children so they fully benefit from the learning offered.