St Paul's Way Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy attending this welcoming and friendly nursery. Staff ensure they collect information from parents during drop off. This supports a smooth transition for children in a safe and secure environment. Children form strong attachments to their teachers, who are all warm and nurturing. Staff have high expectations for the children. As a result, the team adapt the curriculum to meet children's varying learning styles and needs. This helps children to maintain interest in their learning and develop new skills.

The providers are passionate and committed to the nursery setting. They support the manager to carry out her roles and responsibilities. Together, the team support children to know their daily routines. This includes washing hands, having snack and going outdoors. This contributes to children behaving well. Children are respectful towards the adults, using kind language and being well mannered. Parents provide positive comments about the setting. They value the friendliness of the staff team. Parents report that their children enjoy attending and make progress in their development.

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

• Staff work well as a team and respect and support each other. This provides children with opportunities to learn positive social interactions from the adults.
• Staff provide children with praise and encouragement. For example, staff say 'good listening' as children follow the setting's rules. As a result, children know what to expect and are kind and considerate in their responses.
• Staff plan a good curriculum at the setting. They use children's interests to help them learn through play. For example, children extend their interests in shopping through imaginative play outdoors. This supports children to make good progress in their learning.
• Children use their hands to manipulate play dough. This enhances the use of their fine-motor skills in their fingers and supports children for the next stages in their early writing development.
• Children experience daily fresh air and exercise in the outdoor area. For example, they manoeuvre wheeled vehicles in the garden. The children also have access to a park nearby where they have the opportunity to play running games. This supports children's physical development.
• Staff encourage children to develop their independence. Children are successful in using their self-help skills. For example, putting on their coats, washing their hands and helping themselves at snack time.
• Support for children's developing communication and language skills is good. For example, children learn words and phrases as they take part in conversations and sing rhymes. The staff sometimes do not give children time to respond to questions they are asking. This may limit opportunities to encourage children to express more detailed responses.
• The manager is ambitious. She has a clear focus on driving improvements within the setting. Staff are happy and feel supported within their roles. They know that they can talk to the management team to gain support for their needs. The manager ensures that staff keep up to date with mandatory training.
• Partnership working is good. Staff engage well with external professionals, such as accessing the borough's training. Parents describe staff as 'warm' and 'helpful' and say that they get to know their children well. Staff provide information to parents through a learning book. They meet with parents to share their children's learning once a term. This helps parents continue their children's learning at home. Staff also support parents to access courses and workshops within the organisation.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff provide opportunities that allow children more time to think so they can respond to questions, enabling them to build on their social interactions.