The Village Nursery, Shenington

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and enjoy their time at nursery. They have access to a variety of stimulating and interesting activities and resources, for example shaving foam. Children squeal in delight as they touch and hold the foam. Children form secure friendships across the age ranges. Older children support the younger children in their play. For example, they show them how to blow bubbles. Children enjoy positive interactions with the adults. They explore the garden and show great joy at digging in the large sandpit with a sit-on digger. Children manage their own risk when climbing in the garden. They help each other by offering a hand to support balance.

Children's behaviour is good and minor conflicts are soon resolved. Staff model positive behaviour and guide children through sharing and turn taking. Children are building good communication and language skills. Through descriptive communications with staff, new vocabulary emerges as they talk about the activity the children are doing. The quality of teaching is good. This is evident in how children explore and discover new activities. They enjoy listening and talking about seeds and what they need to be able to grow.

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

• The manager has made significant improvements to the nursery. Staff training has been effective in developing staff knowledge and skills. Staff attend regular staff meetings where they discuss the next steps for children's learning. They then plan challenging yet exciting activities and learning experiences for individual children.
• The manager is ambitious in what she wants the children to learn and shares this effectively with staff through regular supervisions and evaluation of practice.
• Staff training has improved communication greatly. They talk with the children about what they are doing and model active listening skills. Staff allow the children to express their ideas and give time for them to respond to adult interactions.
• Children develop good language skills and vocabulary. Staff observe children's play and offer an open dialogue of what they are doing. They use challenging and open-ended questioning to develop vocabulary further. This helps children to listen, use new vocabulary and learn what it means. However, staff do not always offer the same level of communication when children are playing outside.
• Children of all ages play well together and enjoy the friendships they have. They actively seek out their best friend to play with. They enjoy sharing the farm animals and farm vehicles, making the sounds of the animals and giggling in delight.
• Staff interact effectively with children, supporting the development of their skills and enhancing their learning. They encourage children to be independent in making choices. Children enjoy helping themselves to resources, such as the bubble mixture in the garden.
• Children manage risks in their play well and staff are on hand to ensure they are safe. Children express their interests and needs well. They meet their own personal hygiene needs, such as toileting. Children know the routine of the day, although they are not always involved in transition times, such as tidy up time. Staff tidy ready for lunch, which does not further support children's knowledge.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff provide regular feedback to parents to share information about their children's progress. They also provide ideas for activities at home to further support children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend staff interaction and communication while outside to facilitate more learning and challenge to the children
• review the organisation of daily routines to extend learning opportunities for the children.