St. Anne's Pre-School, Royton Oldham Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive excitedly to this caring nursery. They form loving bonds with staff, who place the children at the heart of everything they do. Children invite staff to join in with their play. They use their imagination as they make 'tea' with the role-play food. Staff name the items and show genuine interest as they pretend to eat the food they make. Children are consulted as staff show them a nappy in advance of changing them. These respectful and nurturing relationships help children to feel safe and secure.

Children have fun in the care of consistent, professional staff. Younger children shake instruments along to their favourite nursery rhymes. Older children concentrate when they are sticking and gluing. They use their fine motor skills to spread glue carefully and accurately use scissors to snip paper. Children stretch their bodies as they take part in a yoga session. They excitedly demonstrate the stretches they have remembered. Children show a positive attitude to learning and make good progress from their starting points.

Children are supported by calm staff, who encourage them to share, take turns and use their manners. Older children pass plates and cups to the younger children at snack time. When children arrive, they welcome each other with a smile and a wave. As children create pictures, other children praise their efforts and shout, 'Wow, I like that'. Children behave well and demonstrate kind behaviours.

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

• Independence is supported well at this nursery. Children relish the chance to be the 'special helper'. They put on an apron and set up the 'café' for snack time. When snack time is over, they gather up the plates and wash them, showing pride in their achievement. Children are confident in their own abilities and show high levels of self-esteem.
• Children thoroughly enjoy exploring the wide range of books that are available in the setting. Younger children cuddle up with staff and turn the pages carefully, waiting with anticipation as staff read to them. Older children use books to extend their learning. For example, as children talk to staff about dinosaurs, they go to find a book about dinosaurs to explore this interest further. Children show a real interest in stories.
• Staff bring the teaching of mathematics into everyday routines. Children confidently cut bananas for snack time into 'four pieces', and staff talk about them being in quarters. As children collect and pour water, staff talk about the containers being 'empty' now that the water has gone. Children make good progress in this area of their learning.
• Leaders have designed a curriculum that builds on children's interests and skills over time. Overall, staff's teaching is good. However, at times, the curriculum is not implemented consistently by all staff. Staff do not always consider precisely enough what they intend children to learn through the activities they offer. Furthermore, staff do not always adapt and respond in the moment as learning opportunities arise. This does not support children to make the highest levels of progress in their learning.
• Staff feel extremely well supported by leaders. Leaders carry out frequent supervision meetings, and staff state that their well-being is promoted. Staff have access to a wide range of training opportunities to help them fulfil their roles. However, these arrangements are not fully effective in identifying minor inconsistencies in some practice. There is scope to further develop these systems to raise the quality of practice to a consistently high level.
• Staff develop extremely successful relationships with parents. Parents are positive about the regular information they receive about their children's development. Parents have noticed particular progress in their children's confidence and speech development since starting. They comment that their children have formed loving bonds with staff, who know their children well.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is knowledgeable and passionate about her role. She works closely with staff to identify children who may require additional support. This helps to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need to make good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to understand what they intend children to learn and how to consistently promote progress through embracing learning opportunities as they occur
• strengthen the monitoring arrangements to raise staff practice to a consistently high level.