Spencer Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children learn and play in a language rich environment. They hear new words and are actively encouraged to express their thoughts. For example, during role play, older children engage in meaningful conversations with staff. Children explain their ideas and enjoy solving problems. They have superb language and thinking skills in relation to their age.

Children have a very positive approach to their learning. They demonstrate by their excellent behaviour that they feel happy, safe and emotionally secure. Children follow instructions and listen very well. There are strong relationships between staff and children. Staff treat children with the highest level of respect and value their individual differences. This supports children's well-being effectively.

There are very high expectations of what children can achieve and do independently. For example, children are provided with plenty of time to practise how to zip and unzip their coats. With a great deal of perseverance, many of the children manage to do this successfully. Children show high levels of social confidence. They do not shy away from talking to their peers, staff and unfamiliar adults in the setting. For example, even the youngest children greet visitors warmly and enthusiastically.

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

• Partnerships with parents and staff from other provision that children also attend are superb. This helps to ensure a consistent approach to children's learning. Staff provide parents with plenty of information and exceptional support. Parents make highly complimentary comments about the staff and the care their children receive. They praise the excellent ways staff support their children, particularly their language and emotional development.
• Staff seize every opportunity to enhance children's thinking and vocabulary. For example, during their interactions with the older children, they ask thought-provoking questions about healthy food options and oral hygiene. Younger children relish hearing and practising new words and phrases. Children, including those with delayed speech, make rapid and sustained progress from their starting points. They are enthused, engaged and highly motivated to learn.
• Leaders use their expert knowledge to great effect to ensure children have the highest quality of care and education. Following training, staff have significantly improved the support for children's language development. This enables staff to help close any gaps in children's learning as quickly as possible.
• Self-evaluation is excellent. Leaders are very successful in gaining the views of others to identify further developments. Some of the recent changes include the increase in the variety of books to reflect and value the diversity of children's experiences. This has had a very positive impact on children's understanding of people and the community that they live in.
• Staff know children extremely well. They observe and assess children's learning accurately. The ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum ensures children gain the skills and knowledge they need for the next stage in their education. For instance, staff take prompt actions to ensure children with additional physical needs receive targeted support.
• Children's behaviour is outstanding. They show consistently high levels of self-control during activities and routines. An excellent example of this was observed during mealtimes. Despite a slight delay, older children showed positive behaviour and cooperation. This resulted in a calm and orderly environment.
• Staff are very effective in promoting children's health. They consistently follow high standards of care and hygiene to support children's personal care needs. Children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy is growing rapidly.
• Staff are highly skilled and sensitive in helping children of all ages to be emotionally well prepared for the next stages in their education. This benefits children particularly well during transitions, both within the nursery and to other settings.
• Staff who work at the setting undertake a thorough vetting procedure to assess their suitability to work with children. They receive high levels of continuous support and guidance from their leaders. All staff feel extremely well supported and staff morale is very high.