Smarty's Nursery North Hayes

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff welcome children warmly at this inclusive nursery. Children settle very well. They happily leave their parents at the gate and become engaged in planned and purposeful play. Staff and children form positive relationships, which helps children to feel safe and secure. Staff help children to understand the expectations for their behaviour in the nursery and are good role models. Children behave very well.

Leaders design an ambitious curriculum based on children's interests and what they want them to learn. Staff strive to help children to achieve their potential. This helps all children to make good progress from their starting points in development. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who are learning English as an additional language.

Children have a positive attitude to their learning and are eager to join in with activities provided. They listen attentively as staff capture their attention and motivate them well by reading stories with great animation. Staff bring the characters to life, which supports children to take an interest in the book. For example, staff and children dress up to re-enact the story about the caterpillar. Children learn about the life cycle of the butterfly and learn how to build a wormery. This helps children to gain more knowledge about the natural world around them and helps them to understand how to reduce food waste.

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

• Leaders and the long-standing staff team are dedicated to providing high-quality care and education for all children. Staff benefit from regular meetings, observations of their practice and frequent training opportunities. They have developed effective partnerships with other professionals. These help to deliver a consistent approach to meeting children's individual needs, particularly for children with SEND.
• Staff use opportunities throughout the day to support children's personal development. They know children well and tailor their support to ensure that children develop a strong confidence in their abilities. Staff encourage children to take off their own coats and hang them on pegs. Children find their own name cards for self-registration. They learn to care for their learning environment and resources. This helps them to develop their independence skills and gain a sense of belonging.
• Overall, staff understand how to support children's language development. They engage in high-quality interactions with children, and introduce new words to increase their vocabulary. Staff give children time to gather their thoughts and answer the questions asked of them. However, on occasions, staff do not model the use of pronouns correctly. Also, at times, staff use generic phrases, such as
• 'good job', which does not help children to describe their own actions well.
• Staff provide many activities that help children to develop their fine motor skills, which supports their writing later. For example, children practise gripping and pinching as they pick up small items, such as pasta or rice grains. Children confidently use paintbrushes and pencils during art activities.
• Children use the outdoor areas each day and staff help them to explore the available resources. Children happily play in mud kitchens. They balance on see-saws and use available wheeled toys. However, staff do not consistently plan activities for children to practise their core strength and use of their large muscles.
• Staff embed consistent routines. Children follow routines well and know the nursery's rules. Older children tell their younger friends that they have to wait for their turn. Children play cooperatively and share space successfully with one another.
• Parents have the utmost praise for the nursery. They speak highly of the support they have received for the whole family. Staff involve parents fully in their children's care and learning. Parents value the opportunities they have to discuss their children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that staff consistently model language correctly and comment on what children do, to help them to describe their own actions
• help staff to consistently plan activities to support children's core muscles even more effectively.