Tarnerland Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff warmly welcome babies to nursery. They listen with interest to babies' experiences since they last attended. This helps them to plan routines for the day and support their well-being. Staff at the nursery are gentle, kind and reassuring.

The nursery provides a safe, clean and comfortable environment for babies to explore. They enjoy playing with water and mark making with pens. They are eager to climb up and down the slide. At all times, caring staff are available to support them.

Babies have fun in the large outdoor area. Here, they can see older children playing and watch what they are doing. They enjoy crawling through a tunnel or playing with balls. At lunchtime, babies are captivated as they listen to a story. Staff skilfully prompt them to predict words at the end of each page.

When they are ready, older babies visit the two-year-old room. Parents meet their child's new key person. This supports children's well-being and prepares them for the next stage in learning.

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

• Staff are attentive and nurturing. They obtain sufficient information to learn about routines to help babies settle in. Staff share information with parents so that they know about their child's day. They welcome information from home to help them plan daily routines, for example if a baby has had a disturbed night before coming to nursery.
• Transitions to the two-year-old room are positive experiences for babies. They visit each day to meet their new key person and are happy when they return to the baby room. Parents are invited in to speak to the new key person and share information. Babies are therefore well prepared for moving on.
• Staff are warm, caring and nurturing. Babies are happy and confident and form an attachment to their key person. If they are upset, they are immediately comforted.
• The nursery has a clear curriculum which aims to prepare children for the next stage at nursery. However, sometimes, babies' individual needs and strengths are not responded to. For example, staff do not plan consistently for physical play outdoors to help children make even better progress in developing their physical abilities. Although babies confidently explore their surroundings, staff have not fully extended opportunities for them to experience different textures, develop their senses and learn about the world around them.
• Babies are curious about books and enjoy the skilfully delivered story before lunch. However, staff do not consistently enhance and support babies' language development at other times throughout their day, such as through further stories, songs and rhymes.
• The nursery is clean and safe, both indoors and outside. Children learn about being healthy as they turn the tap on at handwashing time. Personal care is attended to promptly and sensitively.
• Daily routines are flexible to enable babies to sleep when they need to. Staff reassure them when they wake up so that they are ready to play again.
• Nutritious meals are provided which cater for known allergies and dietary preferences. Babies learn to use cutlery and drink from cups. Bottle-fed babies enjoy close interactions with staff, which strengthens their attachment and well-being. Staff ensure that parents are able to provide breast or formula milk which is safely stored or made up when it is time for babies to be fed.
• Leadership and management are committed to developing staff knowledge and skills. They ensure staff take part in regular training days. They provide mentoring for apprenticeships and staff are encouraged to develop their qualifications and skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend the curriculum to provide further opportunities for babies to explore their senses and physical abilities
• strengthen staff's skills in supporting babies' early language through daily routines and activities.