School House Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children experience the world around them right from the start. Babies enjoy daily outings into local natural environments and older children spend time in the nursery's outdoor area. This helps children enhance their senses and helps them develop physical skills in the fresh air. Children are safe and happy in the nursery. They explore with confidence and have secure relationships with staff. Babies giggle and sing songs with their friends as they wait for their lunch to be served. Children follow routines with ease. Those children who struggle to regulate their emotions are well supported to understand simple instructions. Staff help children acknowledge their feelings and learn skills such as turn-taking. Children know to wait for the egg timer to buzz before using a toy they request from their friend. As a result, the environment is safe and calm for children to thrive in. Furthermore, children learn to respect and value their peers.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, leaders have noticed some social interaction delays in children, especially those born in lockdown periods. To address this, staff help children take part in small group activities, where children have the opportunity to mix with others. Consistent communication with families during times of nursery closure has helped children those who already attend continue to make progress.

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

• The manager has started to work more closely with staff to ensure their professional training is up to date and their skills are improving. However, there are some aspects of practice that have not been identified as areas for development, such as adapting teaching to suit all children's needs during group activities. Additionally, some staff do not consistently know that managers expect them to remove dummies from children's mouths, in order for them to get the most out of their language development. This being said, children's needs are met, and children engage well during their play. They continue to make good progress.
• Leaders and staff have well-established relationships with families. Parents are happy with the activities their children take part in and know what they have enjoyed each day. However, parents are not consistently aware of ways to continue their children's learning at home, in order to help children make even better progress. This said, parent's views are always valued, and the manager has embedded new ways to check their participation with the nursery to help improve a two-way flow of communication.
• Children are given lots of opportunities to develop a range of skills outside the expected early years curriculum. They enjoy weekly swimming lessons and take trips to the setting's sister nursery. This helps them experience their community, learn how to use the bus and integrate with a range of other people. Children are beginning to understand aspects of life in modern Britain.
• Staff support children's learning well through a carefully planned curriculum. They use themes to spark children's thinking and enable them to build on what children know and can do. For example, during the autumn theme, children and babies collect leaves that fall from the trees. Babies enjoy the sensory aspects and older children use these leaves to make pictures. Furthermore, staff skilfully model new words for children, such as 'crunchy' and 'crinkle', to help enhance their vocabulary.
• Children regularly count during play with staff and explore shapes in their environment. When making dough, staff help children understand the concept of size and quantity. Children count spoonfuls of flour. Their mathematics skills are well supported from an early age.
• All children's next steps in learning and interests are considered when preparing activities to help them engage. Those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are closely monitored and supported by staff within the setting and by external professionals. Staff know how to adapt activities and experiences to engage these children. Additionally, they continue agreed strategies that help these children remain integrated with the group and grow as individuals.
• Children are learning independence skills in preparation for their move to school. They are chosen to be 'helping hands' each day. Children help staff to choose and set up activities and take on roles, such as handing out plates and cups. They are proud of their achievements and show increasing self-esteem.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus staff coaching more closely in order to help them consistently know how to meet all children's needs swiftly
• strengthen engagement with parents to help them understand their children's next stages in learning so they can continue this at home.