The Old Station Nursery, Taplow

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at nursery excited for the day ahead. They are greeted warmly by staff. Children enjoy learning through playful activities. Younger babies laugh with excitement as they splash in the water tray. The older children build on their fine motor skills as the plunge their syringes into a bowl of water and draw water up by pulling the handle back. They aim their syringes in the air and delight as they see how far it goes. Children are keen to show their creations, for example they excitedly show staff their play dough shapes and early mark-making pictures. They enjoy learning new skills and they build on what they already know.

Staff know the children well. This enables them to decide how much support children need while allowing children to keep trying to master a skill. For example, staff watch tentatively as children pour milk from a jug onto their cereal, children concentrate intently while doing so. Staff celebrate and praise children's efforts as they accomplish their goal, which gives them a sense of achievement. Staff have high expectations of all areas of children's development.

Children's behaviour is good. Staff support children to take turns and learn how to be kind to others. Staff organise the daily routine and transitions consistently. This supports children to know what is expected throughout the day.

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

• Leaders are passionate about the provision at the nursery for all children and families. They evaluate staff's knowledge and skills and provide training to bridge any gaps. For example, staff attend conferences to build upon their knowledge of early years education. This helps them to support the outcomes for all children's learning and development.
• Leaders provide an ambitious curriculum that supports all areas of development. Children's interests are used to enhance learning and make it engaging and fun. Staff provide a range of additional activities, such as cookery and gardening. Children make good progress within a well-rounded curriculum.
• Staff broaden children's knowledge of the world around them and the community they live in. For example, children visit the local care home to sing with the residents. They decorate stones and place them in the community for other children to find. Children are developing an awareness of the world they live in and learn how to build relationships in the wider community outside of nursery.
• Staff support children to access a wide range of experiences that teach them about what makes them unique. For example, children recently celebrated Vaisakhi and took part in local celebrations that bring the community together. Children are building their knowledge of the similarities and differences between themselves and others.
• All staff promote children's communication and language through meaningful interaction. Children have the opportunity to learn new words through a variety of activities, including singing. Overall, staff's communication with children is good. However, staff do not always consistently support children's early language development. For example, at times staff do not ensure children hear the correct pronunciation of words to further extend their vocabulary.
• All staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to make progress. They work with other professionals to meet children's next steps in development, which supports them to close any gaps in learning
• Leaders take great care in overseeing children's transition to the next room. They put the children's emotional well-being at the centre of the transition. They ensure that staff complete a handover to the staff in the child's next room. For example, they organise settling-in sessions in their new room to help children become familiar with their environment. Additionally, staff and children celebrate with a room move party. Children's emotional security is well looked after. Transitions are managed effectively with minimal disruption to the children's learning and well-being.
• Parents express how happy they are with the nursery provision. The staff work hard to build parent partnerships with an open flow of communication. They ensure that parents understand their children's next steps in learning. Parents provide updates on what their child does at home. Staff use this collaboration to enhance children's learning. Staff and parents work together to support children's development and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's awareness of how to promote and extend vocabulary, including role modelling the correct pronunciation of words.