Shaping Futures

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and feel safe in this family-focused nursery. They get lots of cuddles throughout the day from attentive staff, who know them well. Babies have a wonderful time as they develop their ability to walk independently while staff praise their achievements. Young children who speak English as an additional language feel settled. Staff ensure texts in their home language are available in familiar everyday formats. For example, staff use packets of food and newspapers from children's home life in the role-play area.

Children respond positively to the high expectations of staff. They are active, curious and keen learners. Children become totally enthralled as they make potions, dressed up as scientists, while staff play alongside them. The enthusiasm staff bring to the activity ensures that children remain focused and show sustained thinking. Children make independent choices about what they would like to play with and are confident in what they can do. Toddlers enthusiastically stack blocks to create towers in the construction area. They display resilience and resolutely try again if their tower falls.

Children respond well to the staff's high expectations for their behaviour and follow the clear, age-appropriate boundaries. Children learn right from wrong because staff discuss the consequences of children's behaviour with them.

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

• Staff know children and their families well. They gain information about what children can already do when they start to attend the setting. Staff plan activities around the children's interests and help to build on their existing knowledge and skills. As a result, children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress in their learning.
• Staff use a good range of strategies to support children's language development. They talk with the children, model language, introduce new vocabulary and ask children questions. They differentiate their approach for children who speak English as an additional language, ensuring they repeat words, so that children have every opportunity to hear new vocabulary. However, at times, their enthusiasm means that they do not allow children enough thinking time to enable them to form answers to their questions or join in conversations. This means that staff do not take advantage of opportunities to further extend children's language by helping them to practise their emerging skills.
• Staff work closely with parents to settle children into the nursery. They provide regular updates to parents about their children's day and well-being. Staff support parents with ideas to promote their child's learning at home. For example, staff provide parents with information and stickers to promote potty training, and bags to take on a walk to collect autumnal items.
• Staff are well deployed and interact sensitively with children to ensure they are fully immersed in their learning. They get down to the children's level and model how to use resources. For example, staff show toddlers how to make marks in coloured sand on a light box. Babies enjoy a range of sensory play, including cornflour, sand and water, and delight in getting messy as they stick coloured paper onto a group picture.
• Children learn to behave well and use their manners. Staff provide a wealth of opportunities for children to express their feelings, and their views are valued. For example, they vote to choose which rhyme to sing next.
• Children's physical health is promoted well through nutritious food, regular fresh air and exercise. Staff provide ample opportunity for all children to be physically active outdoors. For example, babies develop their core strength on the rockers. Furthermore, staff use mealtimes to help children understand the benefits of eating well.
• The manager and area manager support the staff team well. The manager regularly observes staff's teaching and provides them with helpful feedback to support their professional development. Staff have access to an extensive range of training and use this to improve outcomes for children. For example, the room lead for babies has improved the environment after completing training specific to this age group. The well-being of the staff is very important to the management team, and staff report that they feel well supported.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff further to develop their teaching to ensure they give children enough time to think and respond to questions they ask in order to extend children's language skills.