Shooting Stars Wallsend

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children excitedly arrive at nursery and leave their parents with ease. They are warmly welcomed by happy, attentive and nurturing staff. Staff recognise when some children may need additional reassurance. They offer support and comfort to children by seeking out their favourite stories or toys. This helps children settle quickly into activities.

Children know the environment well and move confidently around the setting. They show good coordination skills and confidence as they weave their bodies through the bars of the climbing frame. They access resources independently and show curiosity in the activities on offer. Babies begin to learn about cause and effect; as they bang the wooden spoon against the metal buckets, they beam when this creates loud sounds. Pre-school children and toddlers develop their physical skills during activities where they clench, squeeze and pull play dough while dancing to music. This also helps to develop their small hand muscles skills in preparation for early writing.

Children behave very well and understand staff's expectations. They are beginning to form friendships with their peers. They share toys and take turns with equipment during play. Children understand the routines of the day. They listen well to instructions from staff. For example, when staff play a tidy-up song, children eagerly begin to help put the toys and equipment away. They show a sense of respect for the learning environment.

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

• The leadership team supports staff well to provide a stimulating curriculum that meets children's needs and interests effectively. The manager and special educational needs coordinator are proactive in supporting children with delays in their development. They work effectively with parents and other professionals, as required, to put in place additional support for children. This helps all children to make good progress from their starting points.
• Overall, staff model language effectively, introducing children to a range of vocabulary. For example, during a painting activity staff describe the children's actions to help them manipulate tools and encourage their exploration of marks. However, occasionally some staff do not always ask questions which encourage speech or enhance children's thinking skills. This means children do not always develop their communication and thinking skills as well as they could.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to practise their literacy skills. For example, babies and toddlers make marks in the sand and are keen to experiment with different mark-making tools. Older children concentrate well as staff read them a story and recall what might happen next. They show confidence as they listen to the sound of their name and then clap the number of syllables in their name.
• Staff include mathematics across activities. This helps children to develop a good understanding of some mathematical concepts, such as numbers. Older children are beginning to recognise what each number looks like and can confidently count in sequence. However, they are not always given the opportunity to solve simple problems for themselves to help develop their critical thinking skills even further.
• Staff provide children with healthy and nutritional snacks and meals that promote their good health. They support children in developing their self-help skills, such as at mealtimes. For instance, staff encourage younger children to use their cutlery. They encourage older children to pour their own drinks. Children learn about the importance of good personal hygiene skills. They wash their hands after visiting the toilet and before eating snacks.
• The leadership team has a clear vision for the future and is committed to continually evolving the nursery. The manager works closely with the staff to evaluate practice and lead improvements. Staff speak highly of how the manager supports their professional development. They receive regular supervision and training and feel supported in their role. Staff morale is high, and staff members all have good working relationships with each other and the leadership team.
• Parents speak highly about the staff. They know who their child's key person is and their role in supporting their child. Parents value the online system, which means they have better access to be able to contribute their ideas and obtain information regularly from the staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to use a range of questioning techniques that encourage children to think and engage in even more sustained conversations
• encourage older children to solve simple mathematical problems for themselves to help them develop their own thinking skills.