St Marys Community Nursery CIC

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the nursery and quickly become immersed in their play and learning. Staff warmly welcome children and know them well. Children enjoy the time they spend at nursery. They freely talk to staff about their weekend and what is happening at home. Children follow the flexible routines and behave well. They have a good understanding of the rules and expectations of the nursery, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

Children make good progress and gain a range of skills and knowledge that prepares them for their future learning. They learn to play cooperatively and to be considerate of others. Staff sensitively support children to take turns. For instance, they use an egg timer so that children have a visible tool to help them recognise when their time is up and it is time to share with other children. Staff ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff develop activities so that children can join in and enjoy the experiences. During story time, staff use sign language and visual aids to support understanding of the story. Children relish being chosen to role play a character and repeat phrases they remember.

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

• The nursery has good links with the local school. This enables staff to attend training at the school, such as early writing support. They also have well-established relationships with the local authority. This supports families to gain access to local services as needed. Leaders ensure that all children are included in the nursery. They engage with parents, carers and outside agencies to promote children's individual development.
• The nursery has close partnerships with parents and carers. Parents comment that 'they appreciate the support of the staff'. Staff support all aspects of their children's care, and parents appreciate the way they support the whole family. Staff use a wide variety of methods to involve parents and carers in their children's learning and development. This leads to improved outcomes for children.
• Overall, the nursery has created an ambitious curriculum that supports children's learning well. It is well sequenced and uses the children's interests to build their skills and develop new learning opportunities. However, at times, staff do not consistently support all children fully during group-time activities. Some children appear to lose interest and are not always brought back into the activity, to fully extend their learning.
• Children's speech and language development is a strong focus. Skilled staff support children to increase their vocabulary. Children enjoy listening to interacting with the story of 'The Three Little Pigs'. They 'huff and puff' while learning new words, such as 'cement'. Children add ideas to the story about what may have happened after the wolf left. This shows their comprehension of the story and develops children's ability to think and reflect.
• Mathematics is embedded within all activities at nursery. Children show a good understanding of numbers and number recognition. They understand concepts appropriate to their age. They talk about being 'bigger' or 'smaller' as they crawl through the obstacle course in the outdoor area. Children develop their understanding of spatial words such as 'under' and 'through'.
• Children's behaviour at the setting is good. Staff have high expectations, and children understand the nursery rules. They use excellent manners, asking for resources while playing in the café area. Children learn how to cooperate and resolve conflicts, giving them a secure platform from which to achieve, both at school and in later life.
• Staff provide healthy choices for children. They support oral hygiene and provide opportunities for outdoor and indoor physical play. Children learn the importance of washing their hands after playing outside and using the toilet. They know to use tissues themselves and then to put them into the bin to stop the spread of germs. This develops children's understanding of hygiene and encourages their independence.
• Leaders and staff work together as a team to support each other and the children within the nursery. Managers regularly meet with staff to discuss and support their workloads and well-being. The leadership team include staff in discussions about how to develop the nursery, ensuring that there is a clear vision for the future.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review group activities to ensure all children are included and engaged, and support their learning to a higher level.