St Bernadette's Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff have a main focus on meeting children's needs in this nursery. Staff form positive partnerships with parents and carers. Clear routines for drop-off and pick-up times help children to feel comfortable and settled. Children show that they feel safe and secure. For example, they arrive happy and leave their parents with ease to start their day at the nursery.

Staff are good role models and have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children know to follow the nursery's rules. For example, toddlers independently tidy away the toys when they have finished playing with them. This helps all children to develop confidence and a sense of belonging. Children behave very well.

Leaders plan a sequenced curriculum based on children's interests and developmental stages. Furthermore, the curriculum encourages children to become confident and independent learners. Staff provide exciting and varied opportunities for children's learning, indoors and outdoors. Children are empowered to make choices as they flow freely between the indoor and outdoor spaces throughout the day, choosing activities and resources based on their interests. This prepares all children well for their next stage in learning.

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

• Children make good progress in their communication and language development. Staff support toddlers to use simple sign language to communicate their wants and needs. In addition, they introduce children to new words, such as 'freezing', to explain temperatures. This supports children to develop their vocabulary and to become confident communicators.
• Staff recognise the importance of supporting children's personal and health development, for example around staying safe in the sun. Younger children know to wear sun hats to protect their heads and take regular drinks of fresh water to keep hydrated. In addition, staff provide parents with information about local dentists. Collectively, the staff team supports families to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles.
• Children have many opportunities to practise using their large muscles. They thoroughly enjoy time in the inviting outdoor areas as they run, climb and work together to build dens in the forest area. Furthermore, children learn about different family dynamics. Children use a range of tools, such as tweezers and glue sticks, to create 'someone special' cards for Father's Day. This helps to strengthen their hand muscles to support early writing development.
• Parent partnerships are highly valued and are strong. Parents are happy with the care and support provided at the nursery. They comment that staff regularly share updates about children's learning and progress. Staff continually communicate with parents about children's experiences at home, using initiatives such as 'Bobby Bear'. This supports children's continuity of learning.
• Leaders and staff show a very good understanding of the needs of families and children that they work with, giving excellent support when required. They work closely with external professionals to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the greatest support at the earliest opportunity. Furthermore, leaders use additional funding effectively to provide disadvantaged children with the support they need and to enhance children's learning experiences. As such, children with SEND and those in receipt of additional funding thrive at this nursery.
• Staff's interactions with children are caring and encouraging. Several staff, but not all, demonstrate exemplary teaching and show how they understand the intended curriculum. For example, some staff do not always recognise when parts of the routine, such as snack time, can be used to implement the curriculum to build on children's existing knowledge and skills.
• Generally, staff support children to develop their self-help skills. Toddlers wash their hands independently before lunch, and older children can manage their own personal care. However, at times, some staff do not consistently recognise when children are able to do more by themselves. For example, they do not organise some routines, such as mealtimes, to help children to become highly independent.
• Leaders have an effective oversight of the nursery and demonstrate sound knowledge of the nursery's strengths and weaknesses accurately. For instance, during the inspection, some children were not as focused as others during adult-led activities. However, leaders recognise that the planning and delivery of adult-led group activities need to be strengthened to ensure that all children are focused and engaged in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to offer even more support to all staff to help them to implement the curriculum more precisely
• review mealtime routines to provide children with more opportunities to practise their independence skills
• adapt the organisation of adult-led group times so that all children benefit from the intended learning to support their progress.