Shining Stars Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy and engaged in this warm and welcoming nursery. The caring staff ensure that children make a smooth start to their learning experiences and form very strong bonds with them. Staff work closely with parents to fully understand children's interests, needs and routines. Very new children demonstrate they feel relaxed, safe and secure. This includes children who speak English as an additional language. Staff obtain key words in children's home languages, which they use alongside visuals, particularly when they first start.

Children are well prepared for their future learning, including starting school. They behave very well and gain good independence skills. Staff support children to learn how to work together and cooperate. For instance, they play circle games, take turns and wait patiently. This contributes towards children making good progress in their listening and social skills as they learn to focus and interact happily with others.

The experienced staff provide many opportunities to support children's communication and language skills. They teach children a wide range of nursery rhymes, traditional tales and action songs. Older children learn new words during their imaginative play, such as 'tent', 'peg', 'thermos' and 'campfire'. Staff implement early language techniques that help promote all children's learning. For example, they face children when they speak with them. Parents comment on how well their children's language has improved since joining the nursery.

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

• The joint managers are ambitious to provide an effective curriculum for all children and have established some good foundations. They are committed to valuing every child and what makes them unique. Staff spend time observing children so they know what they can do.
• Staff use the exciting learning rooms and outdoor areas effectively so that children benefit from adults playing with them to extend and challenge them in play. However, staff do not always give careful consideration to the order in which children learn new skills to ensure that children's learning is sequenced effectively throughout the nursery.
• Staff use games and activities to help develop children's mathematical knowledge. For example, children participate in number challenges. They relish recognising numerals on paper circles as they stick them down in the right order to create a caterpillar. Staff regularly encourage children to count, estimate and compare numbers and shapes.
• The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENCo) is knowledgeable in her role. Staff share any gaps or concerns about children's development with parents. If necessary, they make referrals for additional funding and support. Staff work closely with other professionals and agencies, as required. For instance, they effectively support children's individual health care plans.
• Staff support children well to understand about healthy lifestyles and personal safety. For instance, they teach children to assess risk and achieve manageable challenges, such as balancing and climbing outdoors. Children learn to use tools safely, for example as they use scissors and spades. Staff help children to recognise when they need to change their wet clothes after water play, or when they need to take off their top because they are too hot after a lively 'wake and shake' activity.
• Parents say they feel very well supported at the nursery. They know what their children are learning and how to help them at home. For instance, staff make suggestions for their children's learning and children can choose books to share at home from the lending library. Many parents say that the joint managers have 'gone above and beyond' to help support their children and families.
• The managers' self-evaluation is informed by feedback from children and families. They identify clear areas for improvement, such as a need to extend children's opportunities for climbing outdoors to improve balance and core strength. However, although the managers are knowledgeable and support staff to improve their teaching, they recognise that they do not consistently target their own and staff's practice closely enough to help raise their good practice to even higher levels. This occasionally impacts on the youngest and most able children's progress.
• Staff strongly promote children's love of books. They carefully choose and present books that develop children's interests and language experiences in all areas of the nursery. Staff read stories very well and bring them to life with fun refrains and props to keep the younger children engaged. Children regularly choose to sit and read together.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• deepen staff's understanding of the order in which children learn new skills, to help children to make the best possible progress
• strengthen the training and support for all staff to continually extend their teaching skills, so all children make maximum progress, in particular the youngest and most able.