The Rocking Horse Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff help children to be happy, safe, and well settled in this welcoming nursery. They gently encourage children to separate from their parents on arrival and begin to play. Through effective assessments, staff get to know children well and ensure that activities provided are linked to children's interest and build on what children already know. For example, staff help children to learn more about similarities and differences between each other as they explore where their families come from. This helps children to remain engaged in their learning and make good progress from their starting points. This includes children who speak English as an additional language.

Staff support children to behave well. They help children to develop respectful and trusting bonds with adults and peers. Staff are positive role models, prompting children to say 'thank you' and 'please' where appropriate. Staff offer lots of praise and encouragement as they teach children about the new season. For example, they use cornflour to help children to form snowmen and snowballs. They support children to recognise their own achievements. Children feel proud as they show their work to staff and visitors. Staff are kind, caring and patient. They enjoy playing and engaging with children, for whom they have high expectations. This helps children to thrive.

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

• Leaders are ambitious and committed to providing children with high-quality care and education. They design a broad and ambitious curriculum and ensure the effective delivery of planned educational programmes for all children. Leaders have a visible presence in the nursery, which helps to support staff, parents, and their children in their journey at the nursery.
• Staff help children to develop their interest in books. Staff engage children exceptionally well as they animatedly read familiar stories. Older children enjoy listening, retelling, and re-enacting stories. Babies enjoy exploring 'touch and feel' books. They learn how to hold books correctly and turn pages. Children also visit the local library. This supports their developing love for reading.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language well. They encourage children's conversations, and some staff introduce new words. However, on occasion, staff ask children questions in quick succession, without providing them with time to think and respond. Staff who work with the youngest children do not always repeat key words during an activity to help them to make the best possible progress in their communication and language.
• Staff teach children about healthy lifestyles, including the benefits of eating a balanced diet and engaging in physical activity. Children enjoy playing outside in the spacious garden. They use a balancing track and wheeled toys as they navigate and share space successfully. Staff recognise that some repeated movements, such as swinging, help soothe and relax some children and support their good behaviour and emotional well-being.
• Staff provide effective support for children's fine motor development. Children strengthen their small muscles during a range of sensory and moulding activities. Staff also help children to use tools, such as knives, as they support children to cut fruits for the fruit salad.
• Staff work closely with parents to ensure that toilet training is supported consistently and successfully. However, staff do not always help children to develop a secure understanding of privacy and personal independence. For example, on occasion, staff do not prevent children from seeing one another being changed.
• Staff manage children's behaviour calmly and consistently. They help children to learn rules and expectations. This helps children to learn right from wrong. Staff support children to take turns in their play and explore the resources provided.
• Staff well-being is important to the management team. Leaders take steps to support staff and ensure good teamwork and a positive learning environment for all children. Staff comment that they feel happy and well supported.
• Parents speak highly of the staff and leaders of the nursery. They know their child's key person and understand what their children have been learning during their time in the nursery. They praise how the staff prepare their child for the next steps in their learning. For example, parents describe how leaders and staff help them to fully understand the skills that support children's school readiness.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further support and extend children's communication and language development
• review toileting routines to assure children's privacy and to further promote their personal independence.