Stanley's at Boldon

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The manager and staff are dedicated to giving every child the best possible start in life in this inclusive nursery. Children are eager to join in with the inspiring and challenging activities on offer. They play happily and explore lots of natural and everyday resources. For example, staff provide real pots and pans, cutlery, fruit and vegetables in the role-play area to extend children's imaginations. Children have constant access to safe play in the exciting outdoor spaces. Toddlers concentrate intently as they use rollers and paint to make marks on large pieces of material on the fence. They independently explore with a hose pipe, filling trays with water and experiment mixing paint into the water. Older children enjoy planting vegetables in the garden. They proudly recall when they used their vegetables to make soup.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff teach children how to behave and help them to think about what to do if a problem occurs. Children are very motivated and work exceptionally well together. They know their views are listened to and respected. For instance, when it is time for lunch, children put a 'stop' sign on their models. Other children recognise that this means they are going back to finish them after lunch. Staff have worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic to support children, their families and the local community. When children did not attend, staff made weekly phone calls to their key children and took activities to them at home. For example, staff provided parents and children with the ingredients and recipes to make play dough at home.

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

• Staff have an excellent understanding of how young children learn and develop. They very carefully observe children to understand their stages of development and interests. Staff use their detailed and thorough knowledge of each child to plan a curriculum that is carefully designed to help every child thrive and achieve their full potential.
• Staff use additional funding to provide movement programmes and sequence the curriculum to help all children develop their physical skills. Staff encourage younger children to crawl, roll and have tummy time. Toddlers learn to climb, balance, negotiate ramps and use small stairs. Older children balance on beams, and build obstacle courses to move across with crates and planks.
• Staff form extremely strong partnerships with parents. They share a wealth of information with parents about their children's development. When restrictions allowed, staff visited children at home before they started at the nursery to collect important information to help them to settle quickly. Parents comment that staff support the whole family and go out of their way to make their children feel very special and unique.
• Children learn to recognise their feelings and regulate their behaviour. They talk freely about what makes them happy or sad. Children are eager to learn and concentrate intently when trying to do things. When the time comes for children to leave nursery, they are ready for the challenges of school.
• The manager provides inspirational support for staff to maintain their outstanding practice. Staff's morale is extremely high. The manager has recently qualified as a mental health first aider to further support staff and parents. All staff comment that the manager is extremely supportive of their workload and personal well-being.
• Staff encourage children to develop their independence at every opportunity. Very young children successfully put their wellies on to go outdoors. Older children competently serve themselves their meals and chop up bananas and blueberries for their snack. Babies confidently feed themselves and learn to drink from an open cup.
• Staff provide inspirational activities to help children develop their fine-motor skills. Babies make marks with paint and their bodies on large paper on the floor. Older children very carefully thread ribbon through hessian frames to make colourful patterns.
• Staff meticulously plan support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with other professionals to design careful support plans for children. Parents comment that staff's excellent support contributes to their children achieving beyond their expectations.
• Children are deeply involved in their learning. Older children try, persevere and work things out for themselves. For example, they experiment with weight on large balance scales to work out which is the 'heaviest' and 'lightest'.
• Children are constantly exposed to books and stories. Staff have set up a lending library, so children can take books home to share with their parents. They introduce new vocabulary to children at every opportunity. Children listen attentively to each other and take turns at speaking.