The Old Station Nursery, Henley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at the nursery. Babies and young children leave their parents easily on arrival. They are happy and content in the care of staff. Children form positive relationships with staff and other children. They develop their confidence very well. For example, babies are keen to explore and investigate. They crawl across the garden to play with interesting resources, where they make sounds with spoons and metal pots.

Children benefit from a broad range of interesting learning experiences. Staff identify what children need to learn next. They have a good understanding of children who may need extra help and support. Overall, children receive consistently good interactions from staff, to support them in their play and learning.

Pre-school children join in discussions and conversations well with staff. They confidently offer their own ideas and views. Toddlers develop their listening skills. They enjoy listening to short stories being read to them. Pre-school children demonstrate that they can work cooperatively with each other. They use crates and lengths of wood to build a climbing structure, to walk and balance across. Children use good manners as they pass each other carefully when walking across. This helps them to use the structure safely, while challenging their physical skills.

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

• Staff know and understand how to meet children's needs well. They support the care needs of babies sensitively. For example, babies can follow their home routines for feed and sleep times. Staff gently cuddle babies when they wake up, helping them to feel safe and secure.
• Children develop their independence very well. Toddlers and pre-school children serve their own meals and pour their own drinks. Children make their own choices and decisions about their play. For example, toddlers and pre-school children have free-flow access to the outside area.
• Staff understand the learning intentions of the curriculum securely. They provide exciting learning experiences for children. For instance, all children enjoy forest school activities. This includes sensory experiences for babies and toddlers, where they explore natural materials, such as leaves and pine cones. Pre-school children benefit from regular visits to a nearby forest school area. They take part in activities that help them to manage risk and solve problems.
• The nursery's special educational needs coordinator works effectively with staff, parents and children to support them. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of children's individual special educational needs and/or disabilities, and how to support them. They work closely with parents and other professionals involved, to help provide a consistent approach. This supports children effectively in their development and progress.
• Staff understand how to support their key children's learning to meet their needs. At times, some staff do not extend children's learning as well as possible. In addition, not all staff fully consider the support they offer to children, who happily play alone but do not seek out staff's time and attention.
• Staff feel supported by the management team at the nursery. They receive regular supervision meetings. These help to review their well-being as well as their day-to-day work. However, some aspects of staff's practice are not yet fully embedded, to ensure there is better consistency across the staff team. Staff have access to continuous professional development opportunities, including gaining qualifications.
• Parent partnerships with the management team and staff are strong. Parents speak highly about their experiences of the service provided. They comment very positively about the quality of their children's care and learning. The staff and management team have continually strived to maintain effective communication with parents, despite the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff work closely with parents when their children join the nursery. This helps staff to understand and support children's individual needs well from the start. Staff provide a flexible settling-in process for new children. This supports parents and children to gain confidence during a time of change for them.
• Children show pride in new skills they have gained. Staff recognise children's efforts and achievements. They positively praise children and give encouragement. Children develop a suitable understanding of the behaviour expectations. This helps them to behave well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's awareness of supporting children who happily play alone, to ensure they receive more consistent interactions that help to extend their learning and development further
• build on the already good arrangements to monitor staff's practice and help identify and implement further support, to improve their teaching skills in order to strengthen the overall quality of education.