The Anchor Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive confidently, separating from their parent or carer cheerfully. Staff greet children warmly and by name. They know children well and chat with them as they stow their belongings and walk to their room. Staff understand that children need to feel safe and secure before they are ready to learn. They create a welcoming and friendly environment, where each child is valued. Children settle quickly and build strong bonds with their key person and all staff.

Building on what they know about children, staff follow children's lead and interests in play. They adapt the available resources well to ensure children's individual and emerging interests are met. This helps to capture children's attention and leads to sustained interactions with staff, who place a high priority on building children's communication and language skills. Children gain increasing confidence to articulate their ideas and thoughts. Staff encourage them to speculate and try out their ideas. Children as young as two guess that sand may be causing the texture of the paint to feel bumpy. Pre-school children demonstrate a secure understanding of previous learning. They explain the consequences of leaving taps running and why they need to wash their hands. Children routinely hear staff use a rich vocabulary and this is reflected in their discussions. They eagerly describe what happens when they mix colours, knowledgeably using words, such as combined and merged.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to enhance interactions with children to promote an accurate understanding of the information that they introduce.