St Bernards Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this warm and welcoming nursery with genuine enthusiasm. The homely atmosphere, combined with the staff's commitment, creates an environment where each child feels valued. Nurturing staff build strong emotional bonds with children. From the outset, they gather detailed information from parents to support a smooth transition into daily routines. Most children settle quickly and those needing extra support are sensitively guided to ensure they feel safe, secure and understood.

Leaders have developed an inclusive, child-centred curriculum that reflects children's interests, needs and developmental stages. There is a strong focus on promoting personal, social and emotional development, alongside communication and language skills. Children who show signs of speech delay receive timely, targeted support from appropriately trained staff. Additionally, staff implement a bespoke emotional development programme that helps children understand and manage their feelings and behaviour. As a result, children learn to consider others, make positive choices and are well-prepared for their move to school.

The indoor and outdoor environments are thoughtfully arranged to ignite children's curiosity and encourage their active exploration. Many activities promote children's independent thinking and teamwork. For example, during their kitchen role-play, children engage in lively discussions about breakfast and confidently take on different roles to 'prepare meals' for their peers. This highlights children's sustained focus, creativity and love of learning.

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

• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well. Staff work closely with external professionals and parents to set appropriate targets and deliver tailored activities that address developmental gaps. Staff go above and beyond, particularly for children with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language. They do this by using extra resources to promote inclusion and engagement. Children in receipt of additional funding benefit from rich, real-world experiences, such as trips by train to local places of interest, which help to broaden their horizons.
• Books and songs are used in meaningful ways to enrich children's language skills. For example, a story about building confidence prompts a fruitful discussion, where children explore the word 'affirmation' and proudly share what makes them unique. Staff model complex sentences to encourage children's extension of ideas, which helps to build their confidence and self-awareness.
• The curriculum on offer is carefully sequenced and broken down into manageable steps to support staff in guiding children's learning. Leaders are clear about what they want children to achieve. However, this intent is not consistently reflected in staff interactions with children, particularly during some adult-led activities. Nevertheless, staff know children well and positively speak about their developmental progress.
• Children keenly adopt healthy lifestyles. They readily participate in physical activities, for example, crawling like bears, doing press-ups and practising hopping. They understand that being active contributes to their wellbeing. Children persevere in mastering their self-help skills, such as handwashing, and confidently seek support when needed. Mealtimes are a highlight with children enjoying nutritious, home-cooked meals while learning about the benefits of foods, for instance, rice for energy. Older children also discuss the importance of staying hydrated by drinking water regularly. This helps to embed positive habits in children that support lifelong health.
• Clear routines underpin children's day. Younger children begin in a calm, cosy space before transitioning to the larger hall. However, some aspects of the daily organisation, particularly around group times before lunch, interrupt children's flow of learning. For instance, children who are called out by staff from a story session to use the toilet and wash hands, miss key parts of the story. This impacts children's learning experiences.
• The nursery is a valued part of the community. It participates in local initiatives, such as preparing care packages for families in need. The diversity of families is celebrated, with parents contributing traditional dishes from their cultures, for other children to sample. These experiences help develop respect and understanding of differences and similarities among people.
• Strong, trusting partnerships with parents are at the heart of the nursery's ethos. Parents are warmly welcomed by staff at drop-off and pick-up times and kept well informed about their children's learning. Staff provide personalised home learning packs to help parents support their child's development at home. This promotes a seamless link between nursery and family life.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen coaching and mentoring procedures to support greater consistency in the quality of staff interactions with children across the nursery
• review and refine the organisation of routines so that all children fully benefit from the curriculum.