Rosslyn Nursery And Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this friendly and welcoming setting. They arrive happy and full of enthusiasm to begin their day. Children benefit from a thoughtfully planned settling-in process, which includes a home visit from their key person. This helps children to develop strong relationships with staff right from the start. They demonstrate that they feel happy and secure as they confidently lead their own learning, make choices and interact with others. Older children show genuine care and consideration for their younger peers. For example, they notice when new children are unsure of routines, such as handwashing. They gently show them where to go and demonstrate what to do.

There are high expectations for all children. They play and learn in an extremely calm and positive environment. Children thoroughly enjoy the exciting range of learning experiences indoors and outdoors. They are highly inquisitive and extremely motivated to learn. For example, children become deeply involved in a construction activity. They are fascinated as they discover how tools, such as a spirit level and battery-operated screwdriver, work. They are keen to practise and confident to try out their own ideas. Children work cooperatively to construct the walls of their building. They demonstrate that they can listen and negotiate as they discuss their ideas for the structure.

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

• Children benefit from a varied and stimulating curriculum. Staff successfully implement activities that are linked to children's interests and cover all areas of their learning. Staff foster children's language and communication skills particularly well. For example, they engage children in interesting conversations, teach them songs and share stories. As a result, children learn to communicate confidently and express themselves using a wide range of words.
• Leaders and staff carefully monitor children's progress and quickly identify any areas where they need additional help. They work cooperatively with parents and seek advice, where needed, from other professionals. These high levels of targeted support ensure that all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress in their learning.
• Children demonstrate impressive levels of self-assurance and respect for others. For example, during a helicopter story time, children listen with interest to their friends' ideas and wait patiently for their turn to create a story. Children show an excellent understanding of the boundaries in place. They play cooperatively and moderate their behaviour extremely well. Children successfully use strategies that staff have taught them, such as using sand timers, to ensure that turn taking is fair.
• Staff know children well and value their unique personalities and characteristics. They celebrate special events from children's lives and help them to respect differences between themselves and others. However, staff could do more to broaden children's knowledge of the local community outside of their setting, to help them build on their understanding of the world.
• Staff carefully consider what they would like children to achieve in their physical development. For instance, they teach children a range of dance routines. These become progressively more complex and challenging. This helps children to control their muscle movements and develop strength and coordination.
• Staff are vigilant about children's safety and well-being. For instance, during very hot weather, they ensure that children drink plenty of water and limit vigorous exercise. They teach children to use resources carefully and introduce topics, such as road safety, to enhance children's understanding of risks. However, staff have not considered all ways to help children understand potential risks, when using devices linked to the internet.
• Staff describe a strong sense of teamwork and say that they feel valued and supported by leaders. They speak enthusiastically about training and how they have developed their professional skills. For example, staff describe how 'Maths Mastery' training has helped them to strengthen their teaching and boost children's mathematical development.
• Parents describe an 'amazing learning environment' and say that staff are kind, caring and approachable. They comment that staff treat each child as an individual and show them genuine affection. Parents value the effort that staff put into the experiences for children. They say that activities such as art sessions and Spanish lessons help to enrich their children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• broaden the range of experiences, which help children to learn about their community and the world around them
• develop the ways that staff support children's understanding of keeping safe when using devices online.