Sunshine & Showers 1

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and content at this friendly and welcoming nursery school. Staff greet children with smiles and cuddles as they arrive, supporting children's emotional well-being effectively. Staff plan interesting and motivating activities for children. For example, children are eager to join in with painting shells together, talking excitedly with staff about their 'rainbow' designs. Staff praise and encourage children, developing their confidence and self-esteem. Children demonstrate good behaviour. For example, older children find their friends' name cards, kindly explaining that it is their turn at snack time. This helps to support their developing friendships positively.

Staff are good role models and have high expectations for children. For example, staff prioritise children's language and mathematical skills well. Children enjoy playing a game of snakes and ladders outside, learning to count forwards and backwards. Other children learn about hammerhead sharks when sharing books with staff. Babies delight in playing peekaboo with staff, giggling as they learn to copy actions. These activities support children's knowledge and understanding successfully. Staff know the children and families very well. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. For example, staff work closely with parents to promote children's individual needs effectively. This means that all children make good progress from their starting points.

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

• Leaders and staff have worked hard since the last inspection to make effective improvements to practice and provision. They have sought effective support from the local authority to help them, and are passionate and committed to ensuring that children are provided with good-quality care and education. They have effective plans for the future to continue to develop this.
• Children demonstrate positive behaviour. For example, older children explain that they are sharing their toys with their 'best friends' when playing with dolls. Babies wait patiently as staff prepare their snacks, demonstrating their understanding of routines well.
• Staff support children's understanding of being safe successfully. For example, staff talk with children about keeping safe in the sun and the importance of applying sun cream. Children remind their friends to wear their hats outside. Children enjoy exploring foam and large toothbrushes to brush dinosaurs' teeth. These activities help children learn to keep themselves healthy.
• Children benefit from activities that are planned to support their physical and movement skills. For example, older children enjoy riding bikes, learning to manoeuvre them outside. Babies delight in learning to climb and balance on large foam shapes. This helps to support children's coordination skills very well.
• Staff work well with parents to develop individual plans to support children with SEND. Staff liaise effectively with other professionals to share information about children to help them settle in. They have formed strong partnerships with local schools to support children's smooth transitions. This means that children are fully prepared for their next learning stage.
• Staff provide children with a range of activities to support their developing language and communication skills. Staff skilfully extend children's interest in stories, explaining how skeletons are found inside our bodies. Staff regularly sing rhymes and songs with children, supporting children's vocabulary and listening skills well.
• Children's mathematical understanding is supported effectively. For example, children spend time finding puzzle pieces together, identifying colours and shapes to make them. Other children concentrate for long periods when creating their own beads and patterns. This supports children's understanding of shape and space effectively.
• Staff encourage children's independence. Children help put their own artwork away in their trays and learn how to put on their aprons when painting. Children are encouraged to make choices about what they want to play with, and staff encourage and praise them. These activities support children's confidence.
• Parents are provided with daily updates and photographs about what their children have been doing at nursery. However, not all parents know precisely what their children are learning to help them support their children's learning further at home. Nevertheless, parents talk highly of the experiences their children have, for example, going to the beach, nearby train station and shops. Parents appreciate the support they receive themselves and the flexible sessions offered. They praise the kind and caring staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen information-sharing with parents so that they fully understand how to further support their children's learning at home.