The Westlands Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident at the nursery. They eagerly engage in challenging activities that staff plan for them. For example, children are keen to listen to books, such as about the three bears. They enjoy activities linked to the stories, such as making their own porridge just like the characters, and bring their imagination alive. Children enjoy each other's company and build meaningful friendships. They happily include each other in their play. For example, children welcomed others into their 'dinosaur land' activity. They kindly offered others a dinosaur so that they could join in the game.

Children learn about the importance of healthy eating in the safe and hygienic nursery. They enjoy helping to prepare and serve healthy portions of nutritionally balanced snacks and lunches. Children of all ages develop good physical skills. For example, they learn about the different ways that they can move their bodies. Younger children crawl through tunnels. Older children climb and balance on larger equipment, such as balancing beams. Children learn mathematical skills as they play. Younger children count with confidence as they build with bricks and older children discuss measurements and quantities as they pour mixtures to make porridge.

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

• The manager closely monitors the good quality of education and care that staff provide. She regularly observes staff interacting with children and provides them with helpful feedback to support their practice. Staff attend regular and beneficial training. They have made good use of recent training to develop the way they plan for children and extend upon their interests. This has helped staff keep children motivated to learn.
• Staff know children and their individual personalities well, including their likes and dislikes. They plan activities and experiences for children that they know they will enjoy. This helps keep children engaged in their learning and supports them to make good progress.
• All staff establish secure and trusting relationships with children and this helps children settle quickly and happily into the nursery. Children have a good sense of belonging and positive levels of well-being and self-esteem. Children are independent. For example, they choose their own play and complete their own tasks, such as preparing snack, with confidence.
• The manager and staff build and maintain positive partnerships with parents. They keep them well involved and informed in their children's learning and progress. Staff communicate well with parents and share information about their child's day and achievements.
• Overall, children behave well and staff support them to develop good social skills. For instance, children say please and thank you, share and patiently take turns during group games. Staff recognise and praise good behaviour. However, they do not consistently provide enough explanation to fully support children's understanding of the consequences of their actions. Children do not always know why certain rules are in place.
• Staff support children to develop a good understanding of the similarities and differences of people from around the world. This includes different languages and traditions celebrated by other communities. For example, children learn about Diwali and learn simple French words, such as for hello and goodnight.
• Overall, staff support children to develop good communication skills. They ask older children good thought-provoking questions. However, at times, some staff do not consistently give opportunities for younger children to enhance their developing speaking and listening skills. For instance, they do not use routines times, such as snack time, fully effectively to encourage conversation and early language development.
• Staff effectively support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff liaise closely with outside agencies, such as specialist teachers. They share ideas and strategies to help children make progress. This includes using visual time lines to help children understand and manage the changes in routine.
• Staff provide children with good opportunities to be creative. For example, younger babies use their whole bodies to explore paint. Older children use interesting items to make patterns in paint, such as pipettes, herbs and fruit.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen support for children's behaviour to help children fully understand why certain rules are important and how their actions can impact on others
• develop further the good support in place for younger children's growing communication skills to focus more clearly on early language development.