The Longridge Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this calm, positive nursery. They have built trusting relationships with staff and are eager to invite them into their play. Staff frequently praise children and celebrate their achievements. Children understand and independently follow the well-established routines. Children feel safe and secure.

Children are fully engaged in purposeful learning experiences throughout the day. They confidently explore the resources and activities on offer. For example, babies discover the different sounds they can make as they use a metal spoon to tap different materials. Older children look carefully at a feather, they talk to staff about what type of bird it might have come from. Children are developing their curiosity and are keen to learn.

Promoting a love of reading is at the heart of this nursery. Children of all ages have access to a range of books. They handle books with care as they sit in cosy corners, exploring books with their friends. Babies snuggle into staff as they enjoy hearing stories read aloud to them. As staff enthusiastically read, more children gather round, excited to listen. Older children focus intently during group story time. They gaze at the pictures and are eager to discuss what is happening in the story. Children's early reading skills are developing well.

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

• Leaders have designed and implemented a curriculum that considers the needs of all children. Staff have been involved in developing this curriculum, which sequentially builds on children's knowledge and skills over time. This has helped to ensure that leaders and staff share the same ambition for children at each age and stage of their development. Staff use their interactions with children well to promote intended learning. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress.
• An effective key-person system is in place. Staff know children well, including those who have only been attending the nursery for a short period. They gather detailed information from parents when children start at the nursery and use this knowledge effectively to enhance their interactions with children. Staff observe children carefully to find out what they know. They adapt in the moment to meet children's personal needs. Staff plan focused activities that target the next steps in children's development. The developmental needs of all children are met.
• Children's maths skills are developing well. They confidently count to ten as their friends hide during a game of 'hide and seek'. Children talk about the different shapes of the jigsaw pieces, as they fit them correctly into the puzzle. Children are making good progress in their understanding of early mathematics concepts.
• Staff promote children's physical skills. Children are encouraged to be physically active indoors as well as outdoors. They enjoy learning how to throw and catch a ball. They develop their strength and coordination as they use ride-on toys. Babies have many opportunities to pull themselves up to stand and to practise walking. Children are becoming increasingly confident in their physical development.
• Overall, children's communication skills develop well in this language-rich nursery. Staff engage children in meaningful conversations and introduce new vocabulary. For example, they talk about animals, such as flamingos and badgers. They frequently sing to children and encourage them to join in with the familiar words. However, staff do not always check children's understanding of the language that they use. Occasionally, staff do not model language correctly when speaking to children. This does not support children to make the highest levels of progress in their language development.
• Parent partnership is a strength of this nursery. Parents are clear about what their child is learning and the support that is in place to help them achieve their next steps. Parents feel their children have made good progress since starting at the nursery. They state that their children settled very quickly and have developed loving bonds with the staff. Parents describe the nursery as 'warm and inviting'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's understanding of how to consistently promote children's communication and language skills to the highest level.