Sparkies Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop strong, nurturing relationships with staff at this warm and welcoming nursery. Children arrive at nursery and excitedly leave their parents to seek their friends, demonstrating that they feel safe in their surroundings. They are keen to explore the activities on offer. They have a positive attitude to learning and show high levels of enjoyment and curiosity. For example, staff use activities to develop children's small hand muscles as they enjoy painting and use tongs at snack time. This supports children's early writing skills. Staff have high expectations for all children. They regularly use books to enhance the curriculum, which is designed to meet children's individual needs and stimulate the interests of all children. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

All children behave well, with emotional support from staff. They learn to understand how they are feeling, as well as their friends' feelings. Staff support children's emotional literacy very well. Children learn to be independent as they make choices in their play. They develop their physical skills. For example, they eagerly join in activities to develop their large muscles, balance and coordination as they run, climb equipment and chase each other. They are confident and motivated to learn and develop the skills needed for the next stage of their learning.

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

• The manager and staff are dedicated and experienced. They have a secure understanding of children's learning and development requirements. Staff know children's individual needs and interests very well. They carefully observe and assess what children have achieved and plan a range of interesting activities. The well-designed curriculum has a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language and personal, social and emotional development.
• Staff create an environment that is rich in spoken language. Older children are confident talkers, using a broad vocabulary to share stories, ask questions and discuss what they have learned. Younger children build on single words and increase their vocabulary as staff skilfully narrate and use effective questions to promote children's speaking and listening skills. Staff actively seek key words and phrases and engage in conversations in children's home languages to help them develop their language skills.
• Children are inquisitive and eager to learn. They confidently explore the environment and make choices about where they would like to play. They focus well on activities that they choose. Staff listen and respond to children's requests. This helps children to feel valued. However, at times, activities do not engage children enough to extend their learning, especially those planned for outdoor play. For example, children move from one activity to another, and staff do not effectively interact to engage and challenge their learning even further.
• A strong focus is placed on children developing a love of books, as they form an integral part of the curriculum. Children enjoy hearing stories during focus activities and regular story times. However, staff do not organise group times as well as they could. For example, children find it difficult to concentrate during singing or circle time activities due to the group size and being in too close proximity to each other. Consequently, they lose interest. This does not build on children's listening and attention skills to support their next stage of learning.
• Staff introduce mathematical language into children's play and learning. Children enjoy building towers, like the Eiffel Tower, with large blocks, comparing the height to themselves and staff. Children count to check that columns are even and stable. They discuss how long and wide the structures are, testing how to join them. As a result, children become confident to use mathematical language in their play.
• Partnerships with parents are well established. Parents speak highly about the staff and managers. Staff share information with parents daily, which supports children's well-being, learning and development. Parents are actively involved in their children's learning and development.
• The manager has effective procedures to evaluate and improve the quality of teaching, such as regular opportunities for staff to access professional development. Staff also work well with other settings, such as feeder schools, to support continuity in children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan the outdoor curriculum even more effectively to ensure that all children have opportunities to extend their learning through engaging and challenging activities
• improve the organisation of group activities to help all children remain focused and engaged in their learning.