Teddy Bear Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this highly inclusive and welcoming nursery. The nursery is a hive of activity, filled with laughter and chatter from the children. Staff have the highest expectations of what all children can achieve. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who receive phenomenal support. Staff have established an outstanding key-person system where children form very secure attachments. It is evident that all children are happy, safe and settled at the nursery.

Staff ignite children's curiosity through the rich and varied experiences they offer. Children are eager to join in and engage with these meaningful activities. They especially enjoy being outdoors and exploring the many opportunities with enthusiasm. Children's excitement is infectious. They show pure delight as they squeeze wet sponges above their heads, pretending it is 'rainfall'. Children demonstrate excellent balance and navigation skills as they carefully weave around on their ride-on toys. Staff expertly encourage children to extend their learning further by playing alongside them. Staff support children to use their imaginations, such as sailing in the wooden boat to 'space' or the 'zoo'. Staff then use skilful questioning to discover what 'planets' or 'animals' they see on their way. As a result, all children are building secure foundations for future learning.

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

• Children benefit from an ambitious, well-sequenced and thought-out curriculum. Staff provide exciting and inspiring activities that match children's interests and needs. They set clear intentions for children so they can accumulate the skills they need for their future learning. This is because staff know their children exceptionally well. Consequently, all children make excellent progress across all areas of learning and development.
• Children with SEND make exceptional progress from their starting points. The attentive manager goes above and beyond to ensure that all children have the same experiences and opportunities. The manager and staff work closely with families and other agencies. They use the information gathered to create unique learning plans for the children. Experienced staff offer children highly effective interventions. This includes 'bucket time' small-group activities. The children's confidence is very sensitively supported with the use of their comfort toys. This enhances children's learning opportunities even further.
• Children's behaviour is exemplary, and staff are excellent role models. Children understand boundaries and rules. They respect the resources they have in the nursery and help to take care of them. They hold books carefully and put them back on the shelf where they belong when finished with them. Children respond immediately when they hear the bells ring to capture their attention. They then enthusiastically join in singing the 'tidy up' song and packing away their toys.
• Staff use their expertise to promote children's excellent communication skills. They use and model language exceptionally well as they initiate conversations with children. Children repeat newly introduced vocabulary. For example, they quickly learn action words such as 'scrub' and 'polish' as they wash their ride-on cars. Staff skilfully pause at certain points to allow children time to think and respond. This helps children to learn to articulate their ideas.
• Children play harmoniously alongside each other. They display high levels of independence and self-confidence. Young children learn to be tolerant of others as they patiently wait for their turn to see 'what is in the box'. Staff support children to keep on trying when they find things hard. Children occasionally struggle to do tasks, such as remove a toy animal from the ice or pour water into a cup. Staff skilfully model how to do it and encourage children to try again with their support. This helps children to gain resilience and confidence in their own abilities.
• The inspirational manager leads by example and demonstrates outstanding practice. Staff are passionate and share the manager's high expectations. Staff are keen to continually improve their practice and the nursery. They ensure that the children are at the heart of all their decision-making. New staff receive regular, high-quality support from experienced staff mentors. This includes modelling teaching and discussions about the impact of teaching on children. This leads to consistent improvements to the already superb quality of teaching.