St George's Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children clearly feel safe and secure. They form positive relationships with staff, who are very attentive and sensitive to their needs. For example, staff in the baby room swiftly recognise when babies are tired and need a cuddle. Babies thoroughly enjoy being creative as they explore vegetables in paint. They move on to explore their senses further as they taste and smell citrus fruits. Babies are very expressive and say 'ooh' as they suck on a lemon. Toddlers use their hand-to-eye coordination to carefully press pieces of uncooked spaghetti into dough to create imaginary birthday cakes. Pre-school children demonstrate their creativity as they make their own play dough flavoured with peppermint. They thoroughly enjoy using the mixture to offer different pretend dishes to visitors.

Children show high levels of independence. Toddlers find their indoor shoes and put them on. They proudly say 'ta da' and show staff what they have achieved. Pre-school children confidently serve themselves salad at lunchtime and carefully carry their plate back to their place setting. This prepares them well for their next stage of learning, such as starting school. Children develop delightful relationships with their peers. When a friend arrives for the afternoon session, they are given a big 'shout out' to announce their arrival and are greeted with a massive hug.

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

• The manager has a clear vision for the nursery. She is committed to providing children with the best start in their early education. A clear development document is used as an ongoing tool to set out action plans to help improve outcomes for children. For example, staff strive to further develop the already good opportunities for children to develop their literacy and numeracy skills.
• Staff work well together and there is a calm, happy atmosphere throughout the nursery. Staff say that their mental health and well-being are supported well. They comment on the motivating treats they receive each month. The manager carries out regular one-to-one meetings to provide staff with ongoing coaching and mentoring. However, the manager recognises that there is more she can do to target staff's professional development further, to enable them to develop their teaching skills to an even higher level.
• Staff support children's communication skills well. For instance, they introduce new words and use repetition to help children remember them. Babies babble happily and use facial expressions and gestures to express their needs and wants. Staff working with toddlers ask questions that encourage children to think and respond, such as 'Can you tell me how many candles you have?'. Children use their counting skills and reply 'One, two, three, four'.
• Staff know the children they look after well. They assess their development and know what they want the children to learn next. The curriculum reflects this and takes account of children's current interests. For example, staff encourage older children to share their ideas during play, such as when children use their imagination and role play at being a doctor.
• Staff have respectful relationships with the children. They ask 'Please may I come through, thank you?'. This respect is reflected in the children's behaviour, which is very good. Children respond to gentle reminders from staff to say 'please' when they ask for something.
• Staff make sure children get daily fresh air and exercise. The outdoor areas provide opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. For example, toddlers climb and slide on the large wooden pirate ship.
• Staff promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. Children are encouraged to wash their hands before eating lunch. Staff talk to the children about which foods are healthy. Children say, 'Spinach is healthy. It makes you strong.'
• The nursery welcomes a multicultural, diverse range of children. Staff find out about children's different heritages and cultures and use this information to help represent each child in the nursery. Displays of children's families are in each room. This helps children to understand they are all different and all unique.
• The managers and staff are responsive to any delays in children's development. They identify gaps in children's learning and work in partnership with parents and other professionals to provide early intervention for children, to enable them to reach their potential.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• implement a focused professional development programme that further enhances staff's knowledge and skills.