The Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The inviting and well-organised environment excites children, and they joyfully get involved with the activities set up for them. Children are very independent and encouraged to try to do things by themselves. For example, they cut their fruit and pour their milk during a very sociable snack time. Staff constantly praise children, and this helps them to be highly motivated and confident in their own achievements. Children behave well because they are given clear, simple guidance that helps them to manage their feelings and behaviour.

Children enjoy completing inset puzzles with staff. This helps to build their hand-to-eye coordination, concentration, and mathematical skills. They have fun building structures with magnetic shapes, focusing intently to balance the blocks effectively to make garages for their cars. This supports children's imaginative skills, listening and attention skills, and understanding of the world. Children develop the social skills they need to interact with their peers effectively.

Children have lots of opportunities to use their imaginations and be creative. They develop their writing skills and control over tools when they use scissors, tweezers and different objects for painting. For instance, they cut leaves in the garden and pick up pom-poms with tweezers.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress and develop the skills they need for their future learning.

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

• The manager and her deputy work well together. They have a clear and ambitious vision: to provide high-quality, inclusive education for all. They have created a good system of shared values, policies, and practice. Staff feel well supported in their roles and work together as an effective team. Staff's morale is high. They feel valued and know that their ideas and suggestions are welcomed by their peers.
• Children's physical development is promoted well. Children make their own choices and can choose whether to be inside or out, whatever the weather. They explore the extensive, enclosed field, where they enjoy nature walks, growing their own vegetables and jumping in muddy puddles. They also have opportunities to climb, balance and run freely in the outdoor area. This helps to develop children's large-muscle movements.
• Staff play with children and are genuinely interested in what the children say and do. They provide good narration during play, so children hear a range of language. However, they do not always use these spontaneous discussions to encourage children to think of a range of answers to questions, to extend their learning.
• Children learn about cause and effect as they explore colour mixing. They are encouraged to identify the colours they create. Staff engage children in learning about primary and secondary colours. Children enjoy the sensory experience of painting with their hands as they count their fingers on the handprints they make.
• Staff are warm and nurturing. They have very good knowledge of children's learning and what they need to learn next, including children with SEND. They use information from their observations of children to guide their planning and evaluate their provision. For example, having noticed a pattern that key children were not always accessing mathematical resources, staff attended specific training. Having re-evaluated the impact of this training, they have seen more children, including those in receipt of additional funding, making progress in this specific area of development.
• Partnership with parents is effective. Parents praise the inclusiveness of leaders and staff. They feel supported and involved in their children's learning and appreciate the continued progress their children have made.
• The support for children with SEND is very strong. The passionate, knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator works with her colleagues to ensure that any additional needs are identified quickly. She works in partnership with parents and other agencies to put targeted support in place to help close gaps in children's learning. Children who begin at the setting with identified needs are provided with an inclusive environment that helps them to make progress from their starting points.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to include further opportunities for children to think about a range of possible answers, to extend their learning.