St John's Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this delightful nursery. They choose to spend their time exploring the outside environment, engaging in a range of well-planned learning experiences. Children learn about different insects and their habitats. They excitedly run around the garden collecting natural items, such as bark and sticks, to create a bug hotel. Children show care and concern for living things as they carefully pick insects up and place them in the bug hotel. Children relish opportunities for sensory play. For example, children watch the colours change as they add paint to puddles and mix shaving foam and paint together.

Staff implement an ambitious curriculum, focusing on children becoming secure in their personal, social and emotional development. They teach children the language of emotions and encourage them to express themselves. For instance, in the morning, the children are invited to share how they are feeling and why. This helps children to feel valued and develops their emotional awareness. Staff use simple stories and a doll to help children understand situations they are experiencing, such as starting school. Children form strong relationships with their key person. They spend time together in their key groups during mealtimes and activities inside, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

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

• Leaders have high ambitions for the setting, and staff are proud to be a part of the team. Together, they strive for continuous improvement. Leaders provide staff with regular supervision and professional development opportunities. For instance, staff have attended training in supporting children with autism. This has led to them implementing strategies, such as focused small-group activities to help children's attention and listening skills.
• Staff have developed strong partnerships with parents. They share information about children's progress regularly to support children's learning at home. Parents describe the staff team as 'compassionate and caring' and comment on how much progress their children make.
• Staff provide activities for their key children that they know will interest and excite them. They consider how to embed children's next steps into their planned activities. Staff use their interactions with children to give them new knowledge. However, on occasion, staff move on from the topic quickly without checking that children understand the information they are being taught.
• Children make good progress in their physical development. They have many opportunities to build on their physical skills and strength. They show perseverance and resilience as they carefully balance on tyres and wooden blocks. Staff support children to develop the small muscles in their hands. For example, they encourage them to dig in mud and use scissors to practise cutting.
• Leaders understand how to support the communication and language development of all children, including children who speak English as an additional language. They try different strategies to promote children's communication, such as technology equipment to record their home language. However, at times, staff do not consider how to encourage quieter children, particularly children who speak English as an additional language, to participate and engage in conversations.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress from their starting points. Staff swiftly identify when children may need additional support and contact other agencies in a timely manner. Staff follow the advice and guidance from professionals to help children make the best possible progress. Additional funding is used appropriately by the manager to support individual children's needs. Parents of children with SEND speak exceptionally highly of the staff team.
• Children are kind and respectful to one another. They concentrate during group activities and have a positive approach to learning. Staff promote children's independence and give them plenty of opportunities to do things for themselves, such as pouring their own drinks and putting on their shoes. This prepares children well for the next step in their education. Staff promote healthy lifestyles through conversations at mealtimes and snack times. They help to teach the children the importance of oral hygiene.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve teaching to make sure staff consistently check that children understand what is being taught and they have time to build on their knowledge and skills
• ensure quieter children, particularly those who are also learning English as an additional language, are able to practise their language skills.