S4YC @ Blacon Cc

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Support for children and families is strong and holistic at the nursery. Children and parents know that this is a safe place where they can talk to trusted staff. The provider puts tireless effort into ensuring that support for parents and children is targeted and tailored to their needs. Staff are good role models and help children begin to understand their expectations. Staff teach children about emotional literacy as they learn to understand and discuss their feelings. Staff help to boost children's confidence. For instance, staff offer lots of praise and encouragement to children as they learn and practise new skills.

Staff promote a love of reading as a key life skill and pleasure. They support parents to share books with children in their home languages as well as in English. The focus on literacy also means that there are lots of opportunities for children to practise making marks and early writing skills. As a result, many children exceed expectations in literacy. Staff work closely with local school staff to promote children's early reading and writing skills even further in advance of their move on to school. This helps them to make the best possible progress.

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

• Staff work hard to build and maintain strong and supportive relationships with parents. They use a variety of methods and initiatives to engage parents in their children's learning. For instance, regular stay-and-play sessions are well attended. This helps staff chat to parents and offer advice about supporting children effectively at home. Partnership working supports the consistency of children's care and learning.
• Staff promote children's language skills well. They focus on this so that children can voice their wants and needs and be heard. Staff teach children to speak out and ask for help when they need it. Consequently, children become confident in their communications with each other and with adults.
• Staff training is targeted and the impact of strategies they have implemented is clear. For instance, staff have completed training around supporting children's emotions and they encourage children to express what they are feeling. Training helps staff to build on their teaching skills and on the quality of education for children.
• Staff do not always recognise or challenge some less positive behaviours and actions that it would benefit children to become more aware of. This leads to children not having as much respect for resources and the environment as staff would like.
• Staff know children well and plan for their learning with their interests in mind. Effective monitoring and assessment help staff to identify gaps in children's learning early on. Targeted interventions help children to catch up and make good progress in their learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding are well supported. Funding is spent thoughtfully to provide the extra sessions, meals and resources that children require. Staff work closely with outside agencies to ensure that children have appropriate support in place. All children make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff working with babies are sensitive to their needs and routines, and they quickly form attachments. Staff considerately plan the environment to support babies' new physical skills. For instance, they ensure there are lots of opportunities for babies to pull themselves up on low furniture. Babies make good progress in key areas of their development.
• Staff give children opportunities and support to complete tasks for themselves. For instance, children pour their own drinks and wash their own hands proficiently. This helps children to develop the independence skills they will need as they move on to school.
• Staff teach children about keeping themselves safe and healthy. For example, they discuss online safety and how to use technology in a safe and appropriate way. Children learn about healthy foods and how to keep their teeth clean. Staff consistently teach children about important hygiene routines. Children begin to form healthy habits for life.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to support staff to help children understand how their behaviour affects others and has an impact on their environment.