The Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive ready for a busy, exciting day. They play and explore freely in the varied outdoor space. The sloping playground provides children with challenge and fun. Two-year-old children drive child-powered cars slowly up the hill. Their hard work is rewarded when they whizz speedily back down. Pre-school children develop the strength and skill that they need to pedal the bigger vehicles. The activity promotes children's stamina and physical development well. They learn that success requires effort. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points.

Staff work with parents and carers to create a positive community atmosphere in the nursery. This helps children to feel secure. They learn to value and be kind to each other. Parents particularly praise staff's work during the COVID-19 pandemic. They say that the visits with little gifts, 'put a smile on our little ones' faces.' Staff also set up online contact with families. This included story and exercise times. Their work supported children to continue learning at home. Staff's friendly communication helped children to feel ready and eager to return to nursery.

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

• Purposeful outings enrich the curriculum and deepen children's learning. Children were amazed to witness the birth of a lamb at a farm during the spring. In another example, children demonstrated gaps in their knowledge about buying houses. They walked with staff to the nearby estate agent to find out more. Children develop the confidence to ask questions and seek information.
• Staff bring the wider world into the nursery. They set up a well-resourced building site. Children play cooperatively at the site. They talk about and plan their work. Children put obvious effort into digging and moving the rubble. Their movements show that they have watched and learned about 'how to dig'. Staff further extend children's knowledge. They show children how to bond bricks when they build walls.
• Children learn why builders wear helmets. This helps them to understand risk. Staff write numbers on the five helmets and five corresponding hooks. Children match the numerals. This promotes their early reading. Using the helmets helps children to learn that a number can be divided in different ways. When two helmets are on the hooks, children must search for 'three more' at tidy-up time.
• Managers and staff are ambitious for each other's achievement. This sets a positive example for children. Managers support staff to gain new knowledge and improve their skills. They allocate time for study and report writing. However, managers do not analyse the detail of staff's interactions with children closely enough. This does not help staff to achieve the highest quality of teaching that promotes children's swiftest progress.
• Managers develop partnerships that benefit practice. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) expertly incorporates advice from other professionals into activities for children with SEND. Children often contribute to community projects. They help to grow flowers for 'Congleton in Bloom'. Visits to schools help children to be ready to start school when the time comes. For example, pre-school children participate in a primary school's sports day.
• The manager added new books to the nursery library during Pride month. One story teaches children to associate colours with emotions. This helps children to recognise and manage their feelings. As a result, they begin to develop self-control from a young age. Furthermore, children learn to respect and celebrate what is the same and unique about themselves and other people.
• Children continually extend their vocabulary. Pre-school children hear the lunch menu and say they do not know what 'chutney' is. Then they eat some and understand the word chutney. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language. They learn keywords in the children's home language. This helps children to communicate their needs and feel secure.
• Children learn habits that promote their health and safety. For example, staff help them to think about how much food they eat at mealtimes. This encourages children to eat enough but not too much. Children know that they must wear a safety helmet when they pedal and scoot bicycles outdoors.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to focus more closely on the quality of their interactions with children so that children make the swiftest possible progress in their learning.