Snapdragons Nursery Broadwood

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and excited to go into the nursery. They settle quickly, as the kind and nurturing staff greet them and their parents at the door. Children develop good relationships with their key persons and other staff in the nursery. Younger children cuddle up to the staff as they sit on their laps when they wake up from their sleep. Older children are confident and motivated to learn. They eagerly sound out letters that they see in words as they play, which develops their interest in early literacy. All children behave well. Older children listen to staff as they give them clear instructions for games and activities. Children take part in tidying away the resources, and staff support children to learn to be kind and to take turns with the toys. The manager and staff recognise the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the children and their families. They have worked with families to support children's emotional well-being. For example, during the time that some children could not attend the nursery, staff kept in contact with families and gave them ideas for activities that they could do with their children. Staff have worked very closely with parents to provide transition sessions which are tailored to the children's needs.

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

• The new manager and leadership team implement an ambitious curriculum that is focused on what the children know and what they need to learn next. They place a high emphasis on using children's interests to engage them in learning. However, this curriculum is new, and not all staff are confident at implementing it. At times, staff do not recognise how to extend children's learning further as they play.
• Staff focus on children's emotional well-being and provide them with support to learn to recognise their feelings and emotions. Staff working with the youngest children ensure that children's routines are followed so that they feel secure. Older children enjoy taking part in the 'sunshine circle', during which they learn to explore and describe their feelings and emotions.
• Partnerships with parents are well established. Parents say that they are very happy with the care that their children receive. Parents report that staff keep them well informed about their children's learning and they feel involved. Staff provide parents with opportunities to be part of their child's learning, such as through parent and child events out of nursery hours.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have the support that they need to make the progress of which they are capable. For instance, staff work closely with other professionals to implement targeted support to meet children's individual needs.
• Staff encourage and excite children to be involved in developing their language and communication skills. The youngest children babble and copy words that staff role model as they play alongside them. Older children listen intently as staff use descriptive language to encourage children to guess what picture they have. Children are confident at being involved in creating stories. They eagerly join in with introducing their own line to group stories.
• The manager and staff recognise the importance of children having plenty of fresh air and exercise. Children benefit from lots of outdoor play opportunities, where they enjoy exploring the natural environment. Children learn to balance and climb and enjoy experiencing a range of outdoor activities. Leaders recognise that some children prefer to learn outside and are currently developing a more challenging space for children. The new area is being developed using what staff know about the children and their needs.
• The manager works closely with staff to ensure that additional funding is used appropriately to target support for children who are in receipt of it. Parents are invited to share their views on what they think will benefit their children's learning.
• Staff have good methods in place to assess and monitor children's progress. They interact well with children and engage them in play. However, they do not consider how to ensure that group times are not disrupted so that children can fully engage and take part in being involved. At times, staff are busy tidying and cleaning, which takes children's attention away from the activities provided.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide staff with more support to help them to understand and implement the curriculum more precisely
• review the organisation of planned activities and routines to ensure that they do not impact on children's engagement in learning.