Squirrel Nurseries (Watford Lanchester)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle well and enjoy coming to nursery. They play well alongside and with their friends and particularly enjoy the outdoor area. Children are able to develop a range of skills to help them for future learning. For example, they lift large planks and blocks as they construct a raised walkway, developing their upper body strength and solving problems when they notice a gap or a plank that is too long or short. Staff support them to solve these problems as they encourage them to stand back and observe their creations, to help decide what to adapt to refine them.

Children benefit from a curriculum that is ambitious and supports them to embed core skills, Staff focus on the development of language skills, and echo things that children say to help improve their pronunciation. Children link words that start with the same sound, such as 'cat' and 'carpet' and staff help them find the rhyming word 'mat' to help them to explore and play with words. Such activities support the development of all children, including those who speak English as an additional language. Staff use audible cues, such as 'ready, steady go' to help children to learn how to link words to actions, even when they change the resources. This helps children to follow simple instructions. Older children learn to link letters to the sounds they make, such as the initial letter of their name.

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

• Staff understand children's home lives and experiences well. This helps them to care for children who have varying needs. Leaders ensure that additional funding for any child who receives it, is spent specifically for their needs. Leaders have trained staff to understand the curriculum and this helps all adults who work with children to know what each child knows, and needs to learn next. This has a positive impact on the quality of teaching and children make good progress.
• The leaders of the setting have a clear vision for the future of the nursery. They monitor staff practice closely and provide considerable support to the manager. They identify areas for improvement and make swift plans to tackle them. Where issues with staffing have arisen, for example in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders have taken action to minimise any significant impact on children. There is a strong programme of professional development in place. and the manager is able to step in swiftly to tackle any issues with staff practice.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well catered for as staff find out their needs when they first start. Staff work closely with outside professionals and with parents to implement plans to support these children's learning. This helps to close any gaps in children's development.
• Overall, staff interactions with children are strong, especially when they work with them in small groups. However, at some busier times, staff who work with younger children find it harder to follow their spontaneous interests, for example, to make sure each child who wants to access a toy is able to do so promptly. At times during large group activities in the pre-school room, some children find it harder to concentrate when noise levels rise, particularly in the run up to lunchtime.
• Parents report that they are very pleased with the care and education that their children receive. They appreciate how staff have kept in touch with them, including times where parents have not come into the setting because of COVID- 19 restrictions. They enjoy taking home activities and resources that help them to build on things their children have done at nursery.
• Children's literacy development is strong. Children of all ages enjoy exploring stories with staff, who use lively tones of voice to encourage children to listen. Older children have access to plenty of writing materials. Staff focus on supporting children's upper body strength and hand skills in readiness for using pens and pencils. This helps those children who are ready, to write the letters of their name.
• Staff understand children's emotional needs and take time to help build resilience. They encourage children to join in at their own pace. Staff help children to solve problems. For example, children work out how to use different tools to free objects that have been frozen in ice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to manage larger groups of younger children, to enable them to respond more successfully to these children's spontaneous interests
• review the organisation of large-group activities, particularly at times of transition, to help staff to support children to be more equally engaged at these times.