The Rosebank Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this exceptional nursery. They are extremely happy and feel very safe. The highly skilled staff nurture children's curiosity and inspire imagination. Warm and trusting relationships are nurtured. Staff seize every moment to build on children's interests. Children receive constant attention from an adult. They excel as their needs are met extremely well.

Expectations for behaviour are high. Children greatly enjoy learning and are deeply engrossed in their learning throughout the day. All staff are extremely ambitious for children's development. Staff focus on teaching communication skills, and support children to quickly follow routines. They give clear instructions and plenty of praise to encourage children as they progress. Staff check that the children understand rules to keep themselves safe. Children confidently explore the outdoor spaces. They look after hens and grow produce in the nursery's allotment. Children appreciate the colours, patterns, sights and sounds in the natural environment. They learn to appreciate seasonal changes and enjoy the changes in the weather. Conversations, chats and communication happen naturally throughout the day, promoting children's language exceptionally well. This is key to the strong progress that children make.

Children have high levels of respect for each other and resources. Parents and carers praise the imaginative home learning that is offered. Parents comment on how they feel valued and included in their children's learning. They appreciate the extensive range of information that the nursery provides.

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

• The nursery's curriculum carefully considers how key concepts and knowledge link to children's stages of development. Staff are extremely skilled at tuning into each child's interests and needs. Staff feel valued and take pleasure in providing the highest quality care and education for all children. The smallest steps in children's learning are planned in a very organised way. Staff guide and support the children at every point of their learning journey. This helps children to excel. They seamlessly settle into familiar routines and quickly become independent.
• The learning environment is vibrant and enticing to the children. Outdoor spaces are used exceptionally well. Children balance on beams, travel up climbing walls, plant vegetables and harvest fruit from trees. Staff use children's interests to help keep them fully engaged and focused throughout the day. Strong key-person systems support children to progress and develop further. Consequently, from the earliest age, children learn to see themselves as confident learners. They are motivated to lead their learning and eager to join in.
• Carefully chosen books are read throughout the day, week and year. Staff expertly listen to children as they talk and purposely extend their vocabulary. All children are immersed in stories, songs and rhymes. They become engrossed in the books, repeating words and empathising with characters. For example, children want to give the owl babies a cuddle as they wait for their mum to return. Children are instilled with a love of language and books.
• Staff have a deep understanding of how children learn and develop. They use research-led techniques and strategies to ensure that the environment and teaching helps children to flourish. Staff are passionate about sharing their knowledge with each other and with apprentices who are new to the role. For instance, staff now routinely use Makaton and visual aids to embed learning. They have developed resources, such as a bank of picture clues, which help children who are learning to speak English as an additional language understand key words. This ensures that all children have their needs rapidly identified and effective support is put in place. Staff practice is of a consistently high standard.
• Children make great strides in their personal development and stay at activities for sustained periods of time. Children and adults talk about the nursery's values, such as 'Be kind. Be Helpful. Be a friend'. They treat snack times as social occasions and clear away after themselves. Their behaviour and manners are impeccable. A culture of respect is developed through the way children and adults interact with each other. Children know boundaries and staff give sensitive support and guidance to help children talk about and manage their feelings.
• Staff offer children rich opportunities and support them to develop an understanding of the communities they live in. Children develop a positive attitude to good oral hygiene and have planned opportunities to use technology in their play. They learn simple words in French through regular visits from a teacher. 'Awe and wonder' boxes are located in a variety of places in the nursery. These boxes contain unusual objects, symbols and lights. Children ask staff questions and show excitement at the discoveries they make. Such opportunities contribute to children's understanding of the world they live in and extend children's learning.
• Parents are invited to join in and share their children's learning. For example, during a pumpkin carving session, children use words associated with colour, size, shape and texture. The pumpkins are then decorated at home and brought back to the nursery where they are displayed and celebrated. Parents and carers comment on how they feel part of their child's learning. They appreciate the extensive range of information that the nursery provides. These ongoing initiatives promote learning opportunities at home and strengthen parent partnerships.