Shotton Children's Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy in this friendly and caring nursery. They settle quickly and come in happily. Children develop excellent relationships. For example, babies seek out their key person when they are tired and snuggle in for a cuddle. Staff have a very close relationship with parents. They respond on a daily basis to children's individual needs and adjust their routines accordingly. For example, when children are tired, staff offer them an earlier sleep and make sure that they have time to wake up before eating their lunch. Parents comment that staff really care for their children. Parents love it when the staff share their enthusiasm when children take their first steps or first words.

Staff have good procedures in place to keep children safe. For instance, there are electronic doors to prevent children leaving the premises. Staff talk to children about any hazards in the environment and explain how they can keep each other safe. Children behave well. They listen and follow the rules in the nursery. For instance, older children remind younger children how to play in the builder's area safely. Staff know children well and what they need to learn next. They use this knowledge to organise their learning environment. For instance, staff working with babies reorganise their environment to provide opportunities for babies and toddlers to pull themselves up and take their first steps.

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

• Staff in the nursery are highly focused on improving their skills and knowledge. For example, they have recently attended training on mathematics and have implemented key messages into their practice. This has had a significant impact on children's achievements. Three-year-old children confidently talk about the quantity of numbers without counting. Older children begin to understand how they can add numbers together to make five.
• Staff evaluate how they can improve their practice. An example of this is the changes that staff have made to the outdoor area to promote children's concentration and learning. Children concentrate well outside. They are highly motivated as they use pipettes to water plants or play in the building area.
• Staff give children and their families clear messages about oral hygiene. They share information with parents about healthy eating and dentists. Children particularly enjoy taking a tiger with them when they visit the dentist. Staff provide books and activities, which help children to develop a deeper understanding of how they can look after their teeth.
• Staff place a high priority on developing children's independence skills. Younger children learn to drink from a cup without a lid. Older children pour their own drinks and serve their meals. They learn to clear the tables and wash their cups after snack.
• Staff think very carefully about the order in which children develop skills. For example, they provide a range of resources to help children to develop their small-muscle skills. Older children learn to use their thumb and fingers as they use pipettes to transfer water. They explore how they can make lines and circles with water on the metal door. This helps children to develop the small muscles that support early writing.
• Staff plan for children's interests exceptionally well. They know what they want children to learn and weave children's interests into planned activities to support their engagement. Children thoroughly enjoy playing with diggers in the sand.
• Staff support children's communication well, overall. Staff use activities, such as books and singing, to support children's language development. They take time to listen to children and are very keen for children to share their views and ideas. However, sometimes, staff do not always remind the most confident children to listen to others, particularly quieter children. As a result, quieter children have fewer opportunities to express their thoughts and ideas.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make very good progress. Staff swiftly identify where children need further support. They have a strong understanding of different interventions to use to help children to catch up. Staff work exceptionally well with a range of professionals, such as health visitors and speech and language therapists. This means that children get the support they need to help them to catch up.
• Staff have an excellent relationship with parents. Parents love the electronic app that the nursery uses. They feel that they know what their children are doing and value the advice that staff give them to support their children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• teach the most confident children the importance of listening to others and giving them time to express their thoughts and ideas, to improve their communication even further.