School House Nursery Uckfield

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in the nursery. They are confident to explore their surroundings, both inside and outside. Children develop close relationships with staff, especially senior staff, who help them to settle into their adapted routines due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. For example, babies look for reassurance from familiar staff when they are unsure about unknown visitors.

Children develop close friendships with their peers. They show care and compassion towards others. For example, children ask their friends if they are ok when they are playing doctors in the role play area. Children show great curiosity and question their findings to broaden their knowledge. For example, they are amazed at the large beetle they find in the garden. Children ask staff about its wings, the iridescent colour and the antennae. They continue to search for other creatures hiding in the garden.

Children's independence and self-help skills are highly encouraged. Babies select activities and resources from shelves in their room. Toddlers choose whether to play inside or outside several times during the day. Most pre-school children serve themselves at lunchtime, making decisions as to what they want to eat and how much they want to eat. They clean up after themselves, wiping tables and clearing their plates.

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

• Children's play is promoted well through a balance of spontaneous and planned activities. Staff know children's stages of development well and provide exciting and stimulating experiences for individual children.
• Children's physical development is promoted well. Babies are encouraged to pull themselves up with help from staff. Toddlers learn to use steps safely, holding on to staff's hands to make the step down into the garden. Staff recognise that some children live in flats and do not experience steps on a daily basis. Pre-school children use tweezers to carefully place small items into trays and bottles.
• Staff constantly use effective questions to help older children solve problems and to extend their vocabulary. For example, children explore ice. Staff ask them how they are going to get the animals out of the ice. Children think carefully before using tools to try to release the animals. However, staff do not always promote younger children's vocabulary and understanding to the same level.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents make very positive comments about the information they receive about their individual children's progress and how this can be supported at home. Parents feel that the nursery is well managed and praise the management for the ongoing care of their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they are not always kept informed of staff changes and who is caring for their children, to help promote the consistent approaches to their children's care.
• Staff have a positive attitude towards their professional development and are eager to gain further knowledge and skills. The management team has initiated a well-being programme for staff to support their ongoing work with children. They work well as a team, supporting each other in their daily routines.
• Children's individuality is celebrated and enthusiastically encouraged. Staff know the children well and provide challenges to help them move on to the next stage in their development. Children are encouraged to think for themselves and experiment with new play situations. However, not all children are included in group learning experiences. For example, during lunchtime, children serve themselves, are encouraged to talk about their likes and dislikes, and to help each other. Those who do not have hot lunches are not fully included in these discussions and have fewer high-quality interactions with staff.
• Staff work closely with other agencies and professionals to provide a consistent approach to the care and learning of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They liaise closely with local schools to aid the transition of children to their next place of learning.
• Children learn to keep themselves and others safe. Staff remind them to tuck chairs back under tables so that others do not trip over. When playing with the parachute, children are reminded to mind other children's fingers and to find enough space.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• encourage younger children's vocabulary and language development more effectively
• provide parents with timely information about who is caring for their children in each room
• include all children in group activities to help extend their social skills, self-help skills and decision making.