Sandpit Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery. Staff provide a well thought out and sequenced curriculum that links to children's interests. There is a strong emphasis on sensory exploration and the development of children's strength and coordination skills. For example, babies enjoy feeling sand on their hands. They progress from crawling to walking and use low-level equipment to pull themselves to standing. Babies pick up wooden pegs and place them independently in containers. Staff count one, two, as babies demonstrate their early hand-eye coordination skills. Toddlers and pre-school children explore with paint. They pick up different shaped items, dip them in paint and make marks on paper. Toddlers and pre-school children recognise some colours and the shapes they use, such as a circle and square. Outside, pre-school children show their physical skills as they step on tyres and walk across wooden planks, sometimes aided and unaided.

Children demonstrate that they are happy and feel secure in the care of staff. Staff sing and give lots of reassuring cuddles to babies, who quickly go off to sleep. Pre-school children say sorry to their friends when they splash them with water. Children learn how to make good friendships and resolve minor conflicts peaceably. These attributes provide a secure platform from which children can achieve at school and in later life.

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

• Leaders and staff have worked hard and collaboratively with the local authority to raise practice for children. There are good procedures in place to support children with additional learning needs. Funding is used well. Leaders and staff place a secure focus on their professional development to benefit children's learning. Effective systems are in place for the supervision of staff. Staff report high levels of support for their well-being.
• Staff place a good focus on children's literacy development. They draw toddlers and pre-school children's attention to parts of the book, for example the front, back, spine, blurb, illustrator and author. Staff introduce new vocabulary to children in meaningful context.
• Toddlers and pre-school children choose a hat they want to wear before staff read the book 'Hamilton's Hats'. Staff encourage children to count the hats in the story one to nine. Toddlers and pre-school children show how they can listen, understand and answer questions. For example, they identify the squirrel in the corner of the page. Staff have extended conversations with children about why people wear hats, for instance, to stay safe from the heat of the sun.
• Staff place a good focus on building children's early communication skills from the start. For example, they provide a narrative for babies play, introducing words as they go. Toddlers and pre-school children sing a range of songs, which they choose themselves. They request to sing some songs 'faster', showing their early understanding of tempo. Toddlers and pre-school children show their enjoyment of their play. For example, they raise their hands in the air to shout 'We are' as they sing the song, 'If you're happy and you know it'.
• Staff introduce early counting to babies as they play. They use mathematical words, such as full and empty, as toddlers and pre-school children play with water. Staff talk about the shapes children use during creative play. However, there is scope to enhance the mathematical curriculum to extend and challenge children's learning even further.
• Overall, staff impact positively on children's learning and development through their quality interactions. However, at times, where play is initiated by children, staff do not always introduce new elements that can challenge children's play. Therefore, some child-initiated activities do not consistently build on children's existing knowledge and skills.
• Toddlers and pre-school children line up ready to wash their hands before lunch. They develop very good independence and self-care skills. Toddlers and pre-school children serve their own food with support from staff where needed. They get their own cutlery and pour their own drink. Children develop the skills they will need when the time comes for their move on to school.
• Staff and leaders use assessment well to check what children know and can do. They share information with parents through several means about their children's progress. Staff invite parents to many events, such as stay-and-play sessions. They provide good opportunities to share useful ideas about how parents can support their child's development at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently build on children's existing knowledge and skills during their self-chosen play
• consider the curriculum for mathematics to extend and challenge children's learning even further.