The Hollytree

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children thrive in this diverse and inclusive setting. The warm, friendly staff act as good role models for the children, displaying excitement and enjoyment in children's learning. Children have a positive 'can do' attitude and seek staff for additional support when needed. Children are confident, inquisitive learners. They happily leave their parents to go to staff on arrival, and even the youngest children settle very quickly.

The well-planned indoor and outdoor provision complements the ethos of the setting to encourage curiosity, both indoors and in the natural world, and follow children's interests. For example, when children take part in an activity to find worms in a large tray but become more interested in the texture of the soil, staff encourage this and provide language to describe how the soil feels.

The curriculum meets the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Children make good progress. Additional funding is used appropriately to support these children.

Setting expectations and boundaries are supported by the staff. For example, when children are looking at books outside and put them down, staff remind them that books are left closed and put away appropriately. Furthermore, staff model and encourage the use of manners, promoting respect.

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

• The activities and experiences provided for the children support their interests. Older children grow vegetables and understand how to look after them. Children describe how plants need water and light to grow, and staff enthusiastically describe how children sing to the carrots to help them grow. Children's interests are further embraced through, for example, providing opportunities for children to explore planting independently. Children excitedly describe how they plant and how the rain and water will help the fruit grow. This links in to children's home life experiences as children describe how they also take part in planting at home.
• Staff are skilled in developing children's vocabulary and extending learning in their chosen theme of play. For example, when younger children are taking part in a role-play activity in the kitchen, staff introduce the word 'spatula' and explain what it is for. Older children excitedly explore 'floating and sinking' in the water tray, and staff support by introducing animal names and extending knowledge by describing how the whale often floats on the surface of the sea.
• Staff happily play alongside the children, repeating words back to them and modelling sentences. However, on occasion, the sentences are not grammatically correct, so children do not always hear correct terminology and phrases to fully support their development.
• Parents are very positive about the nursery. They value the friendliness and support of the staff and recognise the progress that their children make. They know what to do if they have a concern and talk about how well their children have settled with staff and how children's independence has developed.
• Children's behaviour and attitudes are positive. When children do need support, staff are there to help. For example, when older children are making vegetable soup in the garden and need help with sharing, staff empathetically support, and children happily continue to play together. Younger children are encouraged to take turns when using sensory toys.
• The diversity of the nursery is celebrated by all staff. Managers talk about how they embrace this, teaching children about different festivals from all religions. Prayers are said before mealtimes in different languages to further promote inclusivity. Staff are familiar with key words in children's home languages, and some staff speak parent's home languages, allowing for effective communication.
• Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the curriculum and improvements that they want to make. The director talks passionately about further training for staff. However, this has not yet been implemented. Currently there are no strategies in place to ensure that staff have the opportunity to improve their knowledge and understanding through training. Furthermore, there are no measures in place to monitor the effectiveness of training if it is undertaken and to assess how it improves teaching and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strenthen support for children's language skills, with a particular focus on the use of appropriate grammar
• implement and assess the impact of focused staff training and development to further improve teaching and learning.