St Winifred's Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and settle well into the nursery. They separate easily from their parents and become quickly engaged in their learning environment. Children have a strong sense of belonging at the nursery. Staff build clear bonds with children, helping them to feel safe and secure. Staff produce family books containing photos of children's family members, helping them to understand what makes them unique, and postcards are sent from family holidays, enabling children to talk about their experiences on return.

Staff plan a curriculum that is based around children's interests and ensure that these interests are reflected in the learning environment. For example, staff set out large floor puzzle pieces that children enjoy connecting together, helping to support their problem-solving skills. Staff understand what children know and what they need to learn next. For example, they identify that children need to build on their fine motor skills. They support this by planning activities, such as play dough and glue and sticking, helping children to strengthen finger muscles and improve their pencil grip.

Staff act as positive role models, promoting positive behaviour. They celebrate children's achievements with praise, which helps boost their self-esteem. Staff actively play alongside children, helping them to have positive attitudes to learning.

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

• Staff support children's communication and language development well. They provide narratives as children play, helping them to learn and understand new words and ask questions to help children build on conversations. Children thoroughly enjoy singing sessions where they take turns to sing their favourite song into a microphone. Staff use sign language to help children build on their communication skills.
• Staff understand the importance of books for children's learning and development and have created a cosy reading area for children to explore books. A 'focus' book for the term allows opportunity for children to become familiar with stories such as 'The Gruffalo'. Staff use visual pictures and props from the story to help bring stories to life and embed children's understanding of the characters. This helps children to develop a passion for books and reading.
• Staff provide children with a range of healthy foods such as fresh fruit. They talk to the children about the benefits these have on their body and how it contributes to their good health. However, staff do not consistently teach children the importance of sitting down while eating or explain the reasons why they should do this.
• Children have plenty of opportunity to build on their physical development. They eagerly climb on the indoor climbing frame, navigating steps to use the slide. The outside area provides a range of bicycles and tricycles, which children access, helping to build on their balance and coordination.
• Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to build on their independence. Breakfast routines encourage children to butter their own toast, and small groups of children take turns to prepare snack for their peers. Children are building on their self-care routines as they learn to wash their hands and put coats on to play outside.
• Staff interact well with children, who enjoy the range of activities on offer. Sometimes, staff do not notice when children have become disengaged and act swiftly to redirect their play to ensure their learning is fully supported at all times.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They work with external professionals and parents to understand the needs of children, establishing plans to manage behaviour and support their unique needs. Staff support children to regulate their emotions. Strategies, such as timers and sensory toys, are used effectively to promote positive behaviour and help children self-regulate.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They are kept informed of their child's learning and development through monthly updates and daily handovers. Parents are invited to engage with the nursery events, such as coffee mornings, Christmas parties and charity fundraisers. The nursery demonstrates a strong commitment to family well-being, signposting parents to local resources and services that provide help and support.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• guide staff to better support children to understand the importance of sitting down while eating
• consider ways to help staff recognise when children are not fully engaged and support to redirect their learning.