The Co-operative Childcare Southampton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently come into nursery and settle quickly. They are keen to share their thoughts and feelings. Staff recognise that children communicate in a range of ways, and they adapt their teaching to ensure that children can communicate with them. For example, some children use hand gestures or facial expressions to communicate their wants and needs.

Staff develop children's independence skills through everyday routines. For instance, children proudly help to lay the table and then self serve their Christmas dinner. Children demonstrate their good relationships with staff, as they are eager to show them their Christmas crackers and the prizes they have won.

Staff support children as they learn to manage their self care. For example, staff remind children to catch the germs when they sneeze. In addition, children learn about oral hygiene and the importance of brushing their teeth through play.

Children are curious and keen to learn. Older children learn about the environment and take pride in doing their best to look after it. For example, children take on the role of 'water warriors' to help preserve water and proudly tell staff they have turned off the taps that were left on. They keenly explain that you have to turn them off to save water so 'it doesn't run out'.

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

• Children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff track and assess children's development regularly to ensure they quickly identify any gaps in development, implementing interventions to help close the gaps if necessary.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff build on children's understanding of the nursery's shared values as they progress through the nursery. For example, the youngest children learn about kind hands, and the oldest children learn about all four of the nursery's common shared values.
• Staff develop children's literacy skills in a range of ways. They encourage children to practise their early writing skills. For example, they eagerly write letters to Santa. In addition, children sing Christmas songs throughout the nursery. They are confident and eager to share their favourites, such as 'When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney'. This supports their literacy development as they learn about rhythm and rhyme.
• The manager has reflected on and evaluated the curriculum provision. She is working with staff to develop the curriculum further to ensure that it supports children's next steps in learning, with particular regard to personal, social and emotional development. As a result of the changes, staff's knowledge and understanding of the aims for children's learning are not yet fully embedded.
• Children who speak English as an additional language have their needs met well. Staff value and respect children's home language and learn common words to help children settle into the nursery. They work closely with parents to demonstrate the benefits of children speaking their home language, as well as English, at nursery.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have their needs met well. Staff ensure they provide children with opportunities to support their learning and development in ways that appeal to them. For example, children avidly join in as staff skilfully gain their attention through regular group times. Children become enthralled as staff pick different objects from the bucket and show them to children. These activities are designed specifically to help children close the gaps in their development, particularly around listening and attention skills.
• Children are familiar with the daily routines. However, at times, staff do not plan transitions effectively enough to ensure that children are consistently supported. For example, during mealtimes, there are sometimes long waits for children's food. This leads to children becoming restless and impacts on their behaviour.
• Staff use additional funding appropriately to enhance children's learning and development. For example, additional funding has been used to support the development of children's speech and language through the purchasing of additional resources and training for staff. Staff take care to ensure they use funding to maximise the support for each individual child.
• Staff develop good partnerships with parents right from the beginning. They take time to answer questions and reassure parents during settling-in sessions. Parents comment on how 'at home' they feel at the nursery. Staff share home learning ideas with parents to further support children's learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to fully embed their understanding of the learning aims of the curriculum and what they want children to learn while at the nursery
• review and improve the organisation of transitions throughout the day, with particular regard to mealtimes.