Surestart - Where Kids Come First

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children come into the nursery excited to learn and to share their news with staff about what they have done since they last met. They are aware of the routines, and they independently hang their belongings up and make their way to a chosen activity.

Children have developed very strong attachments with staff, who have created a safe environment where children are confident, happy and secure. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour, and they have created a culture of mutual respect. Positive behaviour is promoted through encouraging responsibility, for example involving children in tidy-up routines. Children are given scripts to help them navigate difficult situations. For example, when they face difficulties with friends, staff remind them to say, 'Please don't do that, I don't like it.' This empowers children to recognise and respond to uncomfortable and unwanted situations.

Children are provided with a stimulating learning environment full of activities to explore. Staff plan an exciting curriculum using books as their theme. This promotes a love for books and reading. Children are engaged and enthusiastic when they listen to stories that are brought to life through staff's animated and expressive reading. Children are encouraged to create their own stories, which staff scribe for them, and they add illustrations to create their own personalised storybook.

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

• Effective monitoring systems are in place to ensure all children make good progress. When additional support is needed, referrals are made promptly, enabling children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to access appropriate help and continue to achieve well.
• Older children develop resilience, learn how to think ahead, trust themselves and figure out how risky something is when they take part in risky play activities. They hang upside down on a large climbing frame, using just their legs to secure themselves, and they use hammers and nails to create a small wooden scarecrow. Children confidently explain how they made and dressed their scarecrow to go in the garden to scare the birds away.
• Overall, staff provide effective support for children's communication and language development. They incorporate singing and action rhymes into daily routines and engage children in meaningful conversations, often encouraging them to reflect on shared experiences. However, strategies to enhance the speech and comprehension of children who speak English as an additional language are not yet fully embedded in practice.
• Babies learn to become independent through spending time with and observing older children. They are encouraged to get their shoes, put their sun hats on and feed themselves at lunchtime. Older children get themselves dressed for physical education (PE), wipe the table after lunch and help staff to serve fruits at snack time.
• Children have attention skills beyond those expected for their age. Babies concentrate with intent as they observe minibeasts in a bucket, and older children wait their turn patiently during PE. However, on occasion, some activities take too long, and children become fidgety and restless.
• Older children confidently speak to visitors, telling them about their recent minibeast visit, and talk about what they are doing in the nursery today. Babies maintain good eye contact during their back-and-forth interactions with staff.
• Parents speak highly of the care and education that their children receive at the nursery. They say that their children settle quickly, and where children struggle to settle, clear plans are put in place to support them. Parents are happy with the progress that their children have made. They feel supported by staff, and they appreciate the open communication.
• Consistent supervision and a thorough induction process help staff understand their roles and responsibilities clearly, while also enabling leaders to identify areas for further development.
• Staff work well as a team, and they are well positioned around the nursery and garden throughout the day to best support learning and maintain children's safety.
• Settling in is arranged around the needs of children, so that they feel safe and happy to learn. Families are invited to visit the nursery before their children start. This helps them get used to the new environment and staff. Staff settle children well during this time. They spend one-to-one time with them, plan activities around their interests and encourage families to bring in a comforter from home to help the settling-in process.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in reviewing how group-time activities are organised to best support children's engagement in their learning
• embed consistent supportive strategies to help children who speak English as an additional language to further develop their communication and understanding.