Storkway Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are nurturing and speak to children kindly at this nursery. They ensure children receive plenty of encouragement, cuddles and praise. Children emulate the positive behaviour modelled by staff. They show they feel safe and secure. They happily interact with their key persons and keenly gather together for cooperative play.

Children curiously explore and staff help babies develop their imaginary play. Babies spend extended moments pretending to care for their dolls as they lay them to sleep. Staff make expert use of these times to build babies early speaking skills. Babies learn to say short phrases such as 'night, night' in the correct context.

Leaders have devised a broad curriculum. Staff plan a good range of engaging activities for children. This includes construction, sensory exploration and creative arts. For example, children focus well as they paint over shiny pieces of foil. Babies enjoy manipulating dough and benefit from mark-making activities outdoors with different colours of chalk.

Staff have high expectations of children's independence and self-help skills. They stand back and allow children to put on their own coats and attempt their fastenings. Staff encourage older babies as they wipe their own noses and dispose of their tissues.

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

• Leaders have provided training for staff that has led to improvements in teaching and learning. They have successfully addressed the actions set at the previous inspection. Staff model positive play and communicate their expectations to children in age-appropriate ways. Children understand and follow the routines well. They have good attitudes towards learning and listen attentively as staff help them extend their ideas.
• Overall, staff promote children's communication skills appropriately. They consistently name objects and actions for children. Younger children learn the meaning of linked vocabulary, such as, 'sprinkle' and 'splash' during water play, for example. However, staff do not create opportunities for children who speak English as an additional language to develop and use their home language in their play. Therefore, not all children build on their vocabulary as quickly as they are capable of. Babies confidently identify photos of their family and recognise each other's belongings.
• Staff effectively promote children's good concentration skills. For example, children gather round attentively to observe snails and slugs. Staff make expert use of these moments to revisit and build on what children already know about animals and their habitats.
• Staff help children learn to talk about and manage their emotions. They read stories to children and encourage them to speak out whenever they have worries. Children learn to name their different feelings.
• Staff promote children's physical agility well. They encourage children to persist as they pedal and steer trikes. Children actively explore outdoors. Staff teach toddlers to play games with rules. Children learn to control and coordinate their movements as they run. They develop core strength as they determinedly hang from the climbing bars.
• Key-person systems are now effective. Staff get to know their individual children's interests, needs and dispositions well. Staff ensure they follow guidance of external professionals closely. They devise clear targets for children who require additional support and plan activities that help children meet them. Therefore, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress in their learning.
• Staff deploy themselves well across the nursery. They ensure children are always supervised wherever they play. This includes when they use the nursery tablet devices. However, staff do not help children acquire an understanding of how they can keep themselves safe when they are using the internet.
• Mealtimes are peaceful and relaxed. Children display healthy appetites. Staff sit with them as they enjoy their warm meals of rice, peas and fish. They speak to children about the importance of a healthy diet and encourage their good table manners.
• Parents praise the nursery staff. They feel staff encourage their children to broaden their interests. Parents appreciate the detailed information staff share about their children's progress. They say they receive support and useful advice for how they can further develop their children's learning at home.
• Staff say they enjoy working at the nursery and are a close-knit team. Staff say they benefit from allocated time to complete coursework and training. They describe their workloads as manageable.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• take reasonable steps to create opportunities for children who speak English as an additional language to use their home languages in their play so they build their vocabulary as quickly as they are capable of
• support children to acquire an understanding of how they can keep themselves safe when using the internet.