The Cradle Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at this nursery. They smile and give hugs to the welcoming staff. Staff respond with care and warmth and children feel safe and secure in the nursery as a result. Children begin to appreciate the similarities and differences between themselves and others, as they learn about different customs and cultures. For example, children watch videos of dancing dragons as they learn about Chinese New Year. They excitedly work together, using junk materials to make their own dancing dragon. Children use their hands and sponges creatively to find different ways to add paint to their model. Staff promote children's curiosity well, as they are encouraged to explore and think about what will happen when they mix paints. Children watch in awe as the paints they mix change colour.

Children enjoy opportunities to play outside in the fresh air. They are active and develop important physical skills as they ride on bikes, coordinating their way along pathways and chasing after rolling hoops. Children learn about personal safety as staff explain how to climb climbing frames safely, holding the handrail and taking one step at a time. Young children develop fine motor skills as they manipulate soft dough and use tools to create shapes and patterns in the dough. Older children learn about letters and the sounds they make. They use paintbrushes to write and copy letters and numbers in glitter trays. Children's independence skills are promoted well by staff. Children learn to put on their coats and shoes before going out to play and self-select when they will eat their healthy fruit snacks. This prepares children well for the next stage of their education.

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

• The newly appointed management and leadership team have worked hard since the last inspection, and many improvements are evident. They have worked effectively with the local authority's early years advisory team to make positive developments to their provision. For example, they have planned and implemented a play-based curriculum that reflects the developing needs and interests of the children in their care.
• Staff and leaders use ongoing observations and assessment, along with information gathered from parents, to identify starting points for children's learning. Staff use this knowledge to plan activities and learning opportunities that they know children will enjoy and will help them to make progress towards their next steps in learning. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points as a result.
• Children's language and communication skills are promoted well. Children enjoy singing familiar songs and counting rhymes. Staff model new vocabulary and language for children effectively when sharing stories. For example, children enthusiastically repeat phrases and language they hear to describe characters, such as the 'big, bad wolf', in familiar stories. Babies enjoy turning pages and lifting flaps in books as staff point and repeat the names of objects they see.
• Children happily self-select and engage in a range of activities and toys made available to them in their learning environment. Staff interact with children as they play alongside them, participating in their chosen activities, and adapting resources based on their interests. However, sometimes staff interactions do not fully extend children's learning and enjoyment. For example, when playing alongside children building castles, staff do not always develop children's understanding by supporting them to find ways to solve problems as their castle walls collapse.
• Children's behaviour is good. Staff know children well and they offer timely support and strategies to children to help them understand and manage their feelings and emotions. For example, they teach children the importance of sharing toys and resources with their friends. Staff recognise and praise good behaviour and acknowledge children's efforts and achievements, building their confidence and self-esteem.
• Staff report that they feel supported by leaders in the nursery, and they benefit from mentoring and training that builds on their already good knowledge. However, staff have identified that they would benefit from further training specifically relating to supporting children with SEND.
• Parent partnerships are good. Parents report that their children feel happy, safe and secure in the care of the nursery staff. They report that their children are making good progress. Parents appreciate feedback given to them by key staff about their children's daily activities at drop off and pick up times and via an online platform.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the quality of staff's interactions with children, when they show interest in activities, to fully extend their learning
• implement professional development opportunities to enhance staff knowledge and skills even further.