The Meadows Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children play and learn in a positive, caring environment. They build trusting relationships with staff and seek them out for support. Children engage in wide variety of exciting activities, inside and outdoors. The environment has been planned with children's needs and interests in mind. For example, staff noticed that the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted on children's physical development and some children were unable to climb steps. They, therefore, purchased low-rise equipment to enable children to work on their balance, core strength and negotiating different heights.

Children are encouraged to sit and engage in activities for short periods of time. For example, they manipulate malleable materials to strengthen their hand muscles in preparation for mark making. Children listen to stories regularly. Staff use puppets and props to engage children's interests and promote a love of reading. Children develop their understanding of cause and effect, such as they fill and empty containers in the sand and water trays. Children generally behave well.

There is an ambitious curriculum in place that is designed to give children the knowledge and experiences they need to succeed in life. Staff understand the importance of children being healthy and having good oral hygiene. Children wash their hands at snack time and are provided with a wide variety of healthy foods to choose from. They are encouraged to brush their teeth regularly at nursery. Children enjoy exciting experiences, such as the library bus and a theatre company visiting the nursery.

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

• Staff work hard to engage parents. Parents express how they feel supported by staff and are kept up to date with their child's development through discussions and the online nursery software. Staff have close links with the local school and ensure that children have a smooth transition.
• Staff are skilled identifying children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They are quick to make appropriate referrals to ensure that children receive the support that they require.
• Children are not consistently supported to promote their independence. For example, staff take off children's slippers, put on their shoes, put on their coats and wipe their noses. They do not always support children to attempt these skills themselves to build their confidence and self-esteem.
• Staff recognise the importance of helping children to develop their communication and language. Staff talk clearly and repeat words slowly to promote the correct pronunciation. They add words to extend children's vocabularies and use good questioning. For example, when children make potions from lots of different ingredients, staff ask them open-ended questions about the different types of smells.
• Staff know their key children well and what their next steps in learning are. While staff are aware of children's needs and how best to support their development, they do not consistently put identified strategies into practice. For example, a number of children benefit from Makaton, visual prompts and aids. However, all staff do not consistently use these methods to support children.
• Managers have a very clear vision for the nursery. They recognise the importance of supporting families, so that they can support their children. For instance, they offer parents a breakfast club each week to support on them on topics, such as children learning through play and healthy eating. Staff also signpost parents to different services for support.
• Managers understand the importance of continued professional development for staff. Staff have recently completed training to support two-year-old children. They also have the opportunity to self-direct their professional development by requesting training courses. Staff's well-being is a high priority and staff report that they feel fully supported in their role.
• Staff promote equality and diversity throughout the nursery. Children learn about many different cultural celebrations. They benefit from visitors from different cultural backgrounds visiting to carry out activities.
• Children begin to build a good understanding of their emotions. Staff use a range of picture cards which are displayed showing different emotions and a mirror, so that children can see their own expressions and relate these to how they are feeling.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• promote children's independence in order to build their confidence and self-esteem
• use consistent methods of communication with children who need extra support in their speech and language development.