Smart Bridge Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are settled, happy and content in this nursery. They build close relationships with staff, who are caring, calm and sensitive to their individual needs. Babies cuddle with their key person as they explore the sensory activities available at low level. Toddlers play alongside adults as they splash in the water tray, looking to them for reassurance. Older children listen to their friends as they take turns to tell others what they have been doing over the weekend.

Children enjoy a wide range of play experiences which help them learn across all areas of development. They access a well-planned environment that supports choice. Furthermore, the routine gives them time to play, explore and become involved and focused in their play. Calm staff interact well as children play. They nurture children's learning as they ask open-ended questions and comment on what children are doing. For example, as children mix water into flour to make play dough, staff ask, 'What do we need to do? It's wet. How can we make it more like play dough?'

Staff nurture a love of reading and singing because they read stories with enthusiasm and confidently sing songs. Children join in, stamping their feet and clapping their hands, as everyone sings 'If You're Happy and You Know It'. Toddlers spend time sitting in the cosy corner looking at the pictures in a favourite storybook. Babies crawl over to the books laid out for them on the carpet and touch the shiny paper on the cover of a board book.

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

• The owner of this nursery, who is also the manager, is passionate about her vision for the children who attend. She and her team are dedicated to providing a high-quality and inclusive provision. The vision for children to be confident and independent and to learn and enjoy is threaded through everything that the team does. Staff continue to embed an ambitious curriculum and have high expectations for children's achievements.
• The owner supports her staff very well. She is kind, sensitive and very attune to their well-being and professional development needs. Staff have regular opportunities to share ideas, thoughts and issues, for example through weekly briefings, monthly staff meetings and informal discussions.
• Staff access a wide range of training to help them improve their teaching. They are motivated to develop their knowledge and understanding of their role in supporting children's learning. There is scope to build on the good teaching already in place, to consistently challenge children further so that they make even better progress.
• Communication and language development is of high priority in this nursery. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, are expertly supported. This is because staff make sure that there are plenty of opportunities for children to hear and speak English. Staff focus on closing any gaps in learning and support children to make good progress from their starting points.
• Partnerships with parents are strong, which helps to ensure that children's needs are met. Parents say that they are very happy with the good level of communication they receive on a daily basis. They appreciate the detailed information they receive about their child's development and the tips for supporting learning at home. They comment that their children are very happy to attend the nursery and that staff are caring and sensitive.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good support. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to complete referrals and put focused plans in place to encourage development. Extra funding is used to ensure that children's individual needs are met.
• The owner and her staff provide good opportunities for children to learn about the diverse community in which they live. They take the children out to the local park, visit nearby shops and go for walks in the neighbourhood. They recognise they are very much an integral part of their community and continue to strengthen this aspect of their provision.
• Children's small-muscle skills are encouraged as they use plastic tweezers to push jelly squares into different-sized circular shapes. All children enjoy crawling through a play tunnel, rocking on a small rocking horse and pedalling small wheeled toys in the outdoor space. However, older and most-able children do not have enough opportunities outdoors for more-challenging physical activity.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support older children's physical development by regularly providing ambitious and more-challenging experiences outdoors
• build on the good teaching already in place, to consistently challenge children further and help them make even better progress.