The Old Station Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy attending this bright and welcoming nursery. They form secure relationships with key staff, who provide consistent care and support for their education. Staff interact warmly and engage with children well. They offer lots of praise and encouragement to help build children's confidence and self-esteem. Staff's clear routines and expectations help children to effectively manage their behaviour and develop a positive approach to their learning. Children are kind and considerate to their peers and play harmoniously, sharing and taking turns.

Children make good progress in their learning and development because staff plan an engaging and well-sequenced curriculum. They engage in meaningful experiences that foster curiosity and independence. Babies eagerly explore sensory play. They watch and copy staff who model how to mix flour, oil and water with their hands. Staff introduce new vocabulary, such as 'sticky', to help children connect words with their experiences. Toddlers display a sense of responsibility. They help to tidy up toys before lunch and listen to staff during group activities. Staff provide children with rich learning experiences outside in the fresh air. Pre-school children use their imagination as they pretend to cook dragon pancakes around a campfire. They understand how to keep themselves safe, reminding others to stand back 'because it is hot'.

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

• Leaders have worked closely with staff to address actions from the previous inspection. Staff morale is high and they feel well supported, both professionally and personally. They have regular opportunities to meet with leaders to identify training needs and engage in professional discussion and reflection. This helps staff to feel valued and promotes a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff understand the importance of stories and song time in developing children's communication and early literacy skills. Each room has a book of the month, which helps children to build familiarity with stories and language. Staff lead discussions about story characters and link past learning experiences, such as making porridge, to help children make connections. However, at times, staff do not always consider the length of time activities take or adjust their approach to make tasks more active to better engage young children.
• Staff thoughtfully plan the learning environment and resources to support children's interests. However, they do not always select the most suitable areas for activities. At times, babies who are settling to sleep are distracted by children playing nearby. In addition, key staff do not always deploy themselves effectively, to engage and interact purposefully with the children they know best.
• Staff gather detailed information from parents when children first begin to attend. They use their observations of children's play to identify interests and next steps in learning. Staff use this information to identify any emerging developmental gaps and implement targeted support to help children to make the best possible progress.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff share information with them in a range of ways. For example, through verbal discussions, online learning journals and newsletters. Leaders keep parents informed of training events, such as online first-aid courses. Parent feedback highlights the improvements the nursery has made. They praise the stable relationships their children have with their key workers and value the extra-curricular experiences their children attend. Parents state that these experiences help children to flourish and thrive.
• Staff work closely with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to support children's good progress. They share information with them to ensure children receive the best possible support. Leaders make sure that any additional funding is allocated to meet children's individual learning needs.
• Staff effectively support children's health, safety and well-being. Children have daily opportunities to be physically active and play outside in the fresh air. Staff follow strict protocols to ensure dietary requirements are met and mealtimes are safe and inclusive. For example, children are provided with colour coded plates to identify any allergies or preferences. Children collect their individual meal card, which staff review before sitting at the table. They learn the importance of good hygiene because staff remind them to wash their hands before meals.
• Staff support children in building knowledge of their local community and the wider world. They invite professionals, such as police officers and military personnel, to engage with children and share insights into their roles. Children deepen their understanding through hands-on experiences and proudly try on uniforms and engage in role play. Staff support children in managing emotions during times of separation and change, working closely with parents to ensure a consistent and reassuring approach.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to further enhance the quality of their teaching to make sure it is developmentally appropriate and includes more active approaches to enhance young children's engagement
• optimise the learning environment and deployment of staff to fully support young children's opportunities for restful sleep and purposeful learning.