Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School and Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy and settled, showing how secure they feel in the care of the warm and nurturing staff. They enjoy a wide range of activities based on a broad curriculum. These are well planned around children's learning and individual developmental needs. Children form strong emotional attachments to staff, who are attuned to their needs very well. For example, when babies wake, staff gently cuddle them and stroke their hair until they are ready to return to play.

Children behave well. From a young age, they begin to understand the need to take turns and share. Staff are skilled at supporting children to resolve minor disagreements. Children are innately curious and investigate freely. They excitedly explore a range of musical instruments, listening to the different sounds they produce. They develop a love of books and stories. They look at pictures identifying animals and remembering the noises they make.

During the pandemic, staff maintained good communication with the families that were not attending. Although parents do not currently come into the setting, staff greet each child with their parent or carer at the door and share information, which helps them to feel involved in their child's learning.

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

• Developing children's language is a strong focus for all staff. During the inspection, children thoroughly enjoy sand play. Staff support their communication and language skills effectively and encourage children's imagination well. For example, staff engage children well in conversation and introduce new words such as 'squishy' as they explore the texture of the sand.
• Children enjoy sensory experiences and have plenty of opportunities to be active and develop their physical skills. They learn how to make bubbles as they use different size brushes to wash and explore the small dinosaur figures. Staff make the most of spontaneous opportunities to introduce mathematics into children's learning. They count the cups of water as they fill the tray and introduce words such as 'big' and 'little' as they describe the dinosaurs.
• Children develop independence skills. They help to tidy up and make independent choices about their play. They move around with confidence, deciding whether to play inside or outdoors. However, sometimes staff do tasks for children rather than encouraging them to do things for themselves. For example, they wipe children's noses without encouraging them to attempt this for themselves first and hold cups of water for children to drink.
• The nursery manager, who is also the special educational needs coordinator, is committed to ensuring that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the very best possible support at the earliest opportunity. She works closely with staff and external agencies to implement accurate and effective plans. Staff have a clear understanding of the importance of good partnership working and the positive impact this has on children's progress and future learning.
• Staff recognise the importance of effective partnership working with parents. Parents are pleased with the progress their children make. They comment that their children have grown in confidence since starting at the nursery and are happy to attend. Staff ensure good communication with parents and keep them well informed about their children's learning at the nursery. However, staff do not always know as much as they could about what children are learning at home.
• Children's behaviour is good. They help to tidy away toys. They listen carefully and follow instructions well. They have a positive attitude to learning as they engage enthusiastically in everything that is on offer.
• Leaders and managers provide strong leadership for the staff team. There are effective systems in place to support staff's professional development and staff feel well supported. Staff work effectively as a team, and they provide a warm and welcoming environment for the children and their families. Leaders and managers are active and highly reflective. They learn from experience and are constantly looking at ways to develop further so they can continue to offer a high-quality provision.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• encourage children's independence more
• enhance the exchange of information with parents to further understand children's learning at home.