The Old Station Nursery - Bromsgrove

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

There is a calm, happy and sociable atmosphere at this nursery. Children have developed positive relationships with staff and their peers. Staff are attentive to individual children's needs and know them well.

Children benefit from a broad curriculum, which is tailored to their interests. Babies delight in blowing and popping bubbles. Toddlers thrive as they explore sensory activities, such as finding hidden animals in shredded paper. Pre-school children help to plan a jubilee celebration party and recall knowledge about the Queen. As a result, all children, including children with special educational needs/disabilities (SEND), make good progress and show positive attitudes towards learning.

Children behave well. They play cooperatively with each other and respond well to the routines and boundaries in place. Pre-school children follow 'golden rules' and remind other children to follow them. Children flourish on the praise they receive from staff for their efforts and achievements. This helps to build their self-esteem and confidence.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents no longer enter the building. Nevertheless, parents say that staff keep them well informed about their child's progress and communication is good. Staff take time to speak with parents daily. They get to know about children's home life and interests. They use an electronic application to share information and home learning opportunities.

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

• The manager has a well-thought-out curriculum which is sequenced on what children know and can do and what they need to learn next. It is designed to enable children to acquire the necessary skills to become confident and successful learners and prepare them for their next stage of education, including school.
• All staff, including the newest members of staff, have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop. They make regular observations of what children know and can do. Staff use this information to plan an interesting curriculum around children's individual interests and next steps in learning. As a result, children make good progress.
• The new leaders and the manager have a clear direction for continual improvement and have implemented ongoing action plans to achieve this. The manager monitors the quality of teaching and promotes staff's professional development. Staff have regular supervision and staff meetings. This has a positive impact on developing staff practice. However, new members of staff and those new to lead roles would benefit further from continued training, supervision and support.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are supported because staff take time to get to know some words in their home languages and include these in activities. Staff support all children's developmental needs, including those with SEND. They listen to parent concerns and seek advice promptly. They recognise and identify any concerns early on and work closely with the local authority to get additional support as needed.
• Children develop good communication and language skills. Staff take every opportunity to extend language. They introduce new words to the youngest children and engage older children in meaningful conversations. Staff introduce new vocabulary and support language development through fostering a love of books, songs and rhymes.
• Children have opportunities to progress in their physical development. Young babies can pull themselves up using low-level furniture as they take their first tentative steps. Toddlers can explore the climbing frame outside and take age-appropriate risks. Pre-school children delight in playing games such as 'What's the time Mr wolf?' However, the organisation of the outdoor environment means that the youngest children's needs are not always met when mixing in larger groups.
• Children learn about oral hygiene to extend their knowledge of healthy practices. They learn and talk about healthy foods. Staff talk to children about the importance of brushing their teeth and read children stories about visiting the dentist.
• An effective key-person system supports children to form strong attachments and promotes their well-being and independence. Staff share information with parents in a range of ways. They speak to them at the beginning and end of the day and update online learning records with observations and photos of children's play activities. Parents are very happy with the care and education their children receive.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to embed supervision, training and support for the newest members of staff, in order to continue to raise the quality of teaching
• consider the organisation of the outdoor environment to ensure that it meets the needs of all children.