Starjumps Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this nursery happy and excited to start their day. There is a warm, welcoming atmosphere, with hugs and cuddles readily available from the staff. Children very quickly select what they want to do. Staff provide a range of activities and experiences for children to choose from. For example, babies laugh and giggle as they play with cars. They push the button on the cars and watch them scoot across the floor. Toddlers find 'magic beans' linking to the story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk', using tweezers to practise their fine motor skills. Older children retell the story of the 'Runaway Peas' while staff write their ideas down for them. This helps support children's understanding of story writing and that print has meaning.

The provider has a well-structured curriculum in place, which is designed to support children's personal, social and emotional development and has a clear focus on preparing them for their next stage of development. Older children benefit from targeted support to prepare them for their move to school. Staff use photos of classrooms, books about their teachers and real school uniforms to help children understand and feel confident about the transition. Children behave well. When minor incidents occur, staff respond promptly, using clear and consistent reminders of expectations to help children understand.

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

• Staff place a strong emphasis on physical development. Babies build core strength by pulling themselves up at engaging activities. Toddlers use large tweezers to develop fine motor skills, with staff modelling the technique and explaining that it helps to build the small muscles in their hands. Older children create their own obstacle course outdoors, deciding whether to jump, hop or balance to strengthen their larger muscles.
• Leaders place importance on developing children's independence in preparation for their next stage of learning. Children confidently hang up their coats and serve themselves breakfast cereals. However, staff do not always make the most of opportunities to extend this further to help all children develop their independence consistently across routines.
• Mathematical learning is embedded through everyday activities. Toddlers count while pressing dough, building one-to-one correspondence. Older children measure their beanstalks and identify numerals. Children preparing for school take part in a 'plane flying' competition, measure the distances travelled and carefully record the results.
• Staff know their key children well and through the curriculum, plan a range of enjoyable activities. They understand what children can do and what they need to do next. However, staff are not always clear about the specific learning intentions behind each activity to help them implement the curriculum effectively so that children make the best possible progress.
• Interactions between staff and children are generally strong. Staff encourage children to think critically by asking questions and engaging them in meaningful conversations. For example, when collecting snails, staff prompt children to observe and compare the spirals and colours on the shells.
• The children talk positively about their experiences. They say that they 'have fun at nursery' and 'like doing fun things', which reflects the engaging nature of the activities staff plan for them.
• All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those in receipt of additional funding, make strong progress from their starting points. Staff work closely with parents and external agencies to provide the support each child needs to achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Parents are extremely complimentary about the care and education their children receive. They feel well informed about their child's experiences and value the advice they receive on how to support learning at home. Parents appreciate opportunities to join their children in nursery activities and praise the open-door policy that enables ongoing communication with key staff, alongside the planned regular meetings.
• Leaders know their staff well. Staff receive a thorough induction and benefit from regular supervision. They report feeling very well supported by leaders and each other. They value the strong focus on staff well-being and feel confident to seek help if needed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to fully understand the intent of the planned activities and what they want children to learn from them in order to strengthen the curriculum
• guide staff to support children's personal, social and emotional development further to build on their growing independence.