Southsea Nature Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this fully inclusive and homely nursery. Staff know children incredibly well and show delight when discussing their key children with the inspector. Children mirror staff's enthusiasm as they arrive happily and eager to learn. They develop kindness and compassion for others. For example, children notice when a friend is on their own and invite them to play. Staff provide children with the tools they need to maintain meaningful friendships. For example, all children learn simple sign language, ensuring every child has a voice that is heard.

Children learn about the world through first-hand experiences and meaningful interactions. This helps them to make connections within their learning. For instance, children examine preserved insects with great curiosity. They place the insects on a light table and explore their differing characteristics. Staff present new information to expand children's knowledge. For example, children learn that the common bluebottle butterfly that is native to South East Asia enjoys flying across treetops and can recognise colour.

Children behave exceptionally well and take pride in completing routine activities such as tidying up. For example, children independently sweep the floor, clean spillages and pack toys away without prompting. They work in collaboration and offer help to those who are struggling with heavy items. Once finished with their own task, children offer their support to help others who still have jobs to do. Staff provide meaningful praise which helps to reinforce positive behaviour and build excellent levels of self-esteem.

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

• Leadership and management are highly effective. The manager and her team develop a curriculum that is ambitious and builds precisely on what children need to learn next. Staff benefit from regular supervision that is supportive and effective at developing their skills. This creates a highly capable, motivated and dedicated team that provides children with an excellent start to their early education.
• Staff provide children with an abundance of high-quality interactions that prioritise their communication skills. For example, children who are at an early stage within their communication development, receive expert support and communication aids that enable them to make their needs and desires known. Those who are at a later stage in their development, gain a broad vocabulary and learn that some words, such as 'mammoth', have more than one meaning. This helps all children to become effective communicators.
• Staff use conversation to extend and reinforce children's understanding of healthy lifestyles. For example, children chat about their journeys and compare the different modes of transport they use. This initiates a discussion about the benefits of keeping active. Children learn that regular exercise, such as cycling, can help to keep their bodies fit and their hearts healthy. Staff also use these discussions to teach children about safety. For instance, children learn why brakes and bells are important tools when riding a bike and how these can help to keep them and others safe. This helps children to develop safe behaviours and healthy attitudes.
• Staff provide children with excellent opportunities to explore the world through their senses. For example, children experiment with sound as they drop dried lentils and peas onto musical instruments. They listen intently and observe how 'sprinkling' lentils onto bells makes a 'tinkering' sound. Children release handfuls of lentils from various heights to test how this will affect the sounds they make. This helps children to express their creativity while broadening connections with what they already know.
• Children lead their own play and benefit from the freedom staff give them to think through and test out their ideas. For example, a child creates a new tool to enhance his mark-making technique. He takes time to think through his design before attaching pencils to the roof of a toy car with tape. The child tests out his idea before adjusting the position of the pencils so the tips are pointing towards the paper. The child then moves the car back and forth and watches the pencils as they leave marks on the paper. This helps children to develop critical-thinking skills that will prepare them well for future learning.
• The passionate and dedicated team works seamlessly with parents and professionals to ensure children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive a curriculum that is ambitious and tailored precisely to their individual needs. Parents receive regular, detailed information on their children's progress through face-to-face meetings and via their online app. Staff promote home learning through a story sack lending library and photos providing ideas on play. This helps to provide a consistent approach to children's learning, helping them to reach their full potential.