The Nursery School Charlwood

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

There is a clear ethos across the setting. Leaders share the intentions for learning effectively, which are clearly understood and implemented by staff. The curriculum is well sequenced, secure and embedded through staff's good practice and interactions with children. This contributes to children making the progress that they are capable of. Babies watch in wonder such as when they view the bubbles or stars moving down the tubes. They enjoy the feel of the different textures of the cloth toys and brightly coloured material. Staff instigate a game of peek-a-boo with the see-through material. Babies take great delight in this game, smiling and showing the clear bonds they have with staff.

Toddlers engage readily in their musical enrichment session. They become fully engrossed, following instructions and listening intently. Staff encourage children to be active such as when they stand and wave their ribbons to the beat of the music. They delight in popping the bubbles using their hands as the bubbles fall. Older children develop good levels of independence and have regular opportunities to build on their skills. Staff use observations of other children's climbing skills to show children how they can climb more successfully on the small frame. This enables children to persist and succeed.

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

• There is a strong leadership team that oversees the quality of the setting and makes continual and well-targeted improvements. The team is dedicated to providing high-quality care and education for the children and their families. Leaders support staff successfully to develop their professionalism and to progress within the company. Staff report on the effective support they receive for their training and well-being.
• Staff know the children well. A clear system is in place to enable all staff to understand children's interests and what they need to learn next. This contributes to staff making the most of their interactions with children and enhances their learning opportunities.
• Staff demonstrate new skills to children, which, through repetition, children copy such as babies banging the bricks together. They receive effective praise for their achievements and grin with pride. This enables children to learn, develop and gain new skills, extending their development.
• The support for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is highly successful. Staff promptly identify any potential gaps in children's learning and use individualised planning for children that identify targets successfully. Staff receive effective support from leaders to put effective tools and strategies in place, enabling them to provide the best opportunities for children.
• Children learn about similarities and differences such as in the languages they hear or speak at home. For example, staff celebrate and embrace different languages, inviting parents to read stories or hold puppet shows in children's home languages.
• Parents share their delight in their children's experiences while at the setting, such as the regular outings and the outdoor forest school. Leaders request parental feedback to guide them in making further improvements. However, leaders and staff do not explore further ways to make sure that all parents recognise how they can further support their child's learning at home.
• Leaders and staff offer children an array of extra enrichment opportunities both in the setting and the community. Children access activities in the forest school area and go on trips that staff base on children's current interests to extend their learning experiences. For example, when making pizzas, they plan an impromptu trip to the supermarket to buy the ingredients and make the pizzas on return to the nursery.
• Children develop a keen interest in literacy from a young age and gather around with eagerness to listen to staff reading to them. Children listen to stories, and staff ask them open-ended questions to help extend children's speaking skills. Children are curious and interested in finding out more. They ask their own questions, demonstrating good language development.
• Staff deploy themselves well to ensure they meet children's needs effectively. Children go to staff for comfort and support and seek them out when playing. Children demonstrate feeling comfortable in the staff's company and have a strong sense of belonging at the nursery. Staff are kind in their interactions with children and create a culture of mutual respect. Children behave well and are polite.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• explore alternative methods to share information with parents on ways in which they can further support their children's learning at home.