St Quintin Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and ready to engage in the wide range of activities on offer at this inclusive and welcoming nursery. The key-person system is highly effective. Staff build close bonds with the children and know them well, ensuring their emotional and developmental needs are met. Children receive regular praise for their perseverance and achievements, which builds their self-esteem.

Aspirations are high for all children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive targeted support. This includes activities, such as language and attention development focus groups and specific interventions to manage behaviour. This helps to ensure all children achieve the best possible outcomes. Overall, children behave well and respond promptly to staff. Independence is encouraged throughout the nursery. Babies feed themselves with spoons and older children choose and pour their own breakfast cereal. At lunchtime, older children serve themselves and pour their own water.

Children enthusiastically explore activities devised to promote learning across all areas of the curriculum. For instance, they study leaves frozen in ice and talk about the changes taking place. Other children develop their fine motor skills, cutting and scooping cucumber and lettuce with utensils. Children learn about a number of cultural events throughout the year, such as Black History Month, Chinese New Year and St Valentine's Day, supporting children to understand the differences between people.

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

• Parents speak very highly of the nursery. They report that communication is strong through daily feedback, weekly emails and regular online updates. They feel well supported during significant times, such as potty training or the birth of siblings. They welcome practitioner's advice around sleeping and eating habits. Parents comment on the significant progress their children have made since attending the setting. They are kept well informed of this through regular parent meetings and termly reports. They are welcomed into the nursery to participate in their children's learning.
• Assessment is used effectively to help to identify and close any possible gaps in children's learning quickly. All children, including those with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff focus on developing children's language through modelling and engaging in conversations. They regularly read books and sing familiar songs. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well. Staff find out key words in children's home languages and use visual cues to help children understand what is happening next. Staff utilise the many languages represented within the team to support children where possible.
• Children are given plenty of opportunities to play and learn in their large, well-equipped outside area. Staff ensure that children have access to fresh air and experiences to develop their physical skills. Children carefully navigate steps up to slides and ride on wheeled toys. However, staff have not fully considered how they can provide an even wider range of experiences to extend children's knowledge of the world they live in.
• Children learn about the importance of oral hygiene. They use mouth models to practise brushing teeth, and they read stories about good dental health. Healthy and nutritious meals and snacks are prepared on site.
• The dedicated and experienced management team are reflective and strive for continuous improvement. They seek the views of parents and staff regularly through a variety of sources including questionnaires. The long-standing staff report they are well supported and receive regular training to keep their knowledge up to date and enhance their practice. Staff attend regular supervisions meetings where targets are set. However, there are some minor inconsistencies in practice that have not yet been addressed to raise the quality of education even further.
• Parents are well informed about moves through the nursery and staff ensure parents are fully supported. There are strong links with local schools to ensure children's move to their next stage in education is as smooth as possible.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide even more opportunities to further enhance children's understanding of the world they live in
• strengthen monitoring of staff so that any inconsistencies are addressed to raise the quality of education even further.