The French Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this home-from-home, nurturing environment. Staff greet children enthusiastically with smiles and cuddles as they arrive at nursery. Staff have clear, strong bonds with the children and their parents. This enables children to feel safe and secure. Children are well supported in developing their independence. For example, they are encouraged to take off their own coats and change into their indoor shoes.

Staff plan a personalised curriculum for each child based around children's interests and their observations and assessments of children. Children have opportunities to learn a range of languages, including English, French and Spanish. Staff carefully plan activities to ensure that all children make good progress. They skilfully use strategies to support children's communication and language development. They develop language acquisition using visual aids, gesturing and repetition to ensure all children can access the curriculum intentions.

Children behave well and are engaged in their learning. For instance, they enthusiastically dance to music; they sing, wave scarves, jump and sway. Staff model their high expectations for children's behaviour. They remind them to take turns and respect each other's feelings.

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

• There are many opportunities, indoors and outdoors, for children to develop their gross motor skills. The daily trips to the park allow children to walk, run, jump, throw and catch balls and play games. Older children engage in planned music and movement sessions. Babies crawl through tunnels, roll small balls and balance on foam bricks. They have plenty of floor space to practise their crawling and walking.
• Children's fine motor development is supported well through the planned activities. For example, they use play dough tools, spread glue, make marks in sand and have a range of opportunities to practise writing using pens, chalks and crayons.
• Staff engage children during circle times. Children enjoy learning about fire engines. They listen to the sounds they make, look at pictures and enjoy using a toy fire extinguisher. Overall, staff support them well. However, at times, staff need to take more time to listen, observe and allow children time to respond to their questions. This would allow children time to think and share their ideas.
• Babies enjoy making different shapes using large foam rectangles and triangles. They learn about the properties of different shapes and how they fit together. Older children enjoy singing number songs, and staff encourage their number recognition. However, additional opportunities for children to fully embed their concrete understanding of number would further support their mathematical development.
• Children enjoy the healthy meals and snacks provided. Staff sit with children, making this a social experience, and provide opportunities for discussions around healthy eating. Children are encouraged to be independent. They are supported in washing their hands. They collect their own meals and feed themselves with spoons and forks.
• Children have positive attitudes to learning and behave well. They approach activities with curiosity. For example, babies are eager to join a music session. They move their bodies to the music and shake rattles as staff sing to them. They demonstrate that they are emotionally secure.
• Parents Speak highly of the nursery. They receive regular communication from staff. Parents say that they are supported well by staff, who offer ideas on how to help their children learn at home.
• Leaders show passion for the nursery's values and ethos. They prioritise the well-being of children, staff and their parents as a fundamental part of their curriculum offering. They coach staff and recognise their strengths, supporting them by giving them opportunities, such as to gain early years recognised qualifications. Staff work with a range of professionals to ensure all children make progress, including children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• allow children more time to respond when asking questions, to help them share their ideas
• further develop opportunities for children to fully embed their concrete understanding of number.