Siblings Nursery Beacon Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they are very happy and settled in this warm and welcoming nursery. For instance, babies happily put their arms up to staff to be cuddled. Older children seek out their key person to read a story with. Staff plan a curriculum which challenges children. They think carefully about the skills that they want children to learn. For example, they organise activities to help children develop the physical skills they need for later writing. Babies enjoy exploring foam with their hands. Toddlers complete puzzles and make marks with rollers and paint. They develop their muscles when they use spray bottles and make patterns outdoors. Older children begin to make meaningful marks using pens and clipboards as they play. Staff encourage children to develop their imaginations. They join in with children's play such as helping them to care for dolls and pretend to be in a shop.

Staff encourage all children to behave well. Children happily share, take turns and play cooperatively together. When the nursery was closed due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff made sure that they kept in touch with children and their families. They made regular calls to share ideas with parents to extend their children's learning at home. Staff shared videos with children of how the environment had changed for when they returned to nursery. This helped children to know what to expect and to support them to settle back in.

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

• Staff watch children closely to find out what they know and can do. They plan activities to follow children's interests and support what they need to learn next. Parents receive lots of information about their children's progress. They have daily discussions with staff and have access to an online assessment system. This helps to keep parents up to date with their children's learning.
• Children have many opportunities to explore and investigate using a range of different materials. Babies excitedly play and splash in water. Toddlers concentrate as they pour the water from one container to another. Older children make play dough and are curious as to how they can change the colour and smell of the dough.
• Staff recognise that children have not had as many opportunities to develop their large physical skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. They, therefore, plan lots of activities for children to develop their skills in this area. For example, older children practise different ways of moving with sports coaches in the large halls onsite. Toddlers crawl, climb and slide down large play apparatus. Children learn to negotiate moving up and down the grassy banks outdoors, and to use the stairs safely.
• Overall, staff support children's language development well. They repeat the sounds back that babies make and encourage them to join in with rhymes and songs. Staff provide a commentary on older children's play and introduce new vocabulary, such as 'magnify'. However, on occasions, staff mispronounce the sounds of letters and ask children questions which do not encourage them to think or respond fully.
• Staff say that they feel well supported by managers and are happy in their roles. They access regular training to extend their knowledge. For example, staff working with two-year-old children have attended training to support young children's learning. However, managers recognise that staff who have just recently joined the nursery need to enhance their knowledge of how to support children's language development further.
• Staff teach children about how to keep themselves healthy. They learn about good dental hygiene and the importance of eating a good diet. Children enjoy healthy and home-cooked meals in the nursery. However, during times of transition, such as mealtimes, children wait while staff tidy away and set up for lunch. At these times, children become restless and are not fully engaged in their learning.
• Staff work hard to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They liaise with a range of other professionals to help children to reach their full potential. Managers offer a very inclusive environment where all children are valued. For example, staff teach older children to use sign language. This helps them to communicate with their friends who use sign language as their main form of communication.
• Parents speak very positively about the nursery and comment that their children are very settled and enjoy coming to nursery. They very much appreciate when staff message them with photos of their children playing during the day.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan professional development opportunities for newer staff to extend their knowledge of how to support children's communication and language
• organise transition times of the day more carefully so that all children are fully involved and engaged in their learning.