The Abingdon Kindergarten - Long Furlong

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children behave well and are motivated to learn. They demonstrate that they understand and follow the 'golden rules' and happily talk about them during circle time when asked by staff. Children are confident and ask staff for help when needed. Staff teach children about their different emotions by learning new vocabulary and reading stories to help them understand the meaning of the words to describe their feelings.

Staff encourage children to have good hygiene procedures and enable them to become independent in their personal care needs. Children's physical development is promoted through the activities offered both inside and outside. Staff encourage young babies to walk to the table at lunchtime, while older children use scissors to cut pieces of paper for the collage they intend to make. Children of all ages explore play dough. They mould it into a ball, then roll it out using a rolling pin.

Staff enable children to become confident and capable during their time at nursery. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. They enjoy showing staff the plays they have been practising and the books they have made. Children who are moving on to school are well prepared for the next step in their learning. They confidently speak about their time at nursery and become independent in self-help skills, such as choosing their own plate during mealtimes and helping to put the toys away. Staff supervise children well during their play and throughout the daily routine. For example, when children eat their food, staff are vigilant and sit close to them.

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

• Staff confirm that they are supported by senior management and receive supervision and annual appraisals, including checks to ensure that they remain suitable to work with children. The senior management team regularly visits the setting to provide additional support and focus on improving practice. However, communication between the provider and the staff working in the setting is not always sufficiently detailed enough to support them in planning for children's care and learning.
• Leaders and management effectively evaluate the service. They use outcomes from complaints to identify where further improvements can be made. For instance, the provider recently implemented a procedure to remind staff to share and obtain information from parents about accidents and existing injuries.
• Staff plan a varied curriculum, using children's interests and developmental needs as a starting point. In the baby room, children and their families are supported in developing trusting relationships with their key person in those early days. As the children move through the nursery, the staff build on what children know. They strengthen children's independence skills and extend their communication skills and physical development. Staff deploy themselves effectively to provide good levels of engagement to support children's learning.
• Staff work with parents at the beginning of the placement to find out about the children they will care for. The staff use a software app to keep parents updated throughout the day with children's care and learning. Settling procedures are tailored to meet the needs of the children on their arrival. The staff are flexible to those needs and adapt the sessions if needed so that children have a positive experience of settling in. Parents confirm that they feel sufficiently well informed about their child's day, and they welcome the support provided by the staff.
• Children's communication skills are generally supported well. Staff describe what children are doing during their play, which helps them to learn new words, such as 'puffer fish', 'angel fish' and 'octopus'. Staff read to children throughout the day and there is a range of books for children to explore. Staff focus on helping younger children to identify and label what they see, while older children sit and carefully listen to a story. However, on occasions, the noise levels in the room rise, making it more difficult for children to concentrate and listen to the staff who support their learning.
• Staff support children with additional needs well. They use a visual timetable during the daily routine to help children know what will happen next. Staff work with other professionals to support children's development. For instance, they implement plans to help improve children's strength and mobility. Staff provide good levels of support to children who speak English as an additional language. They read books and sing songs in their home language and share this with parents.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the communication of information with the staff working at the setting to ensure that they have sufficient details about the children they care for to enable them to plan more effectively for their individual needs
• review the noise levels in the nursery rooms to ensure that all children can hear what is being said to them and concentrate on their learning.