Three Frogs Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident. They are welcomed into the nursery by warm and caring staff, who know children well. Staff use conversations with parents to help support children as they move from home to the nursery. This helps to settle younger and less-confident children into the daily routines. Children develop friendships with their peers. They learn the importance of good social skills, as staff place a strong focus on this. When children play together, staff teach them about kindness and respect. For instance, as children play football, they ask friends to join in. They wait for peers who do not want to take part to move to a safe space, away from the goal.

Leaders have reviewed and improved the curriculum for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with a focus on priorities for learning. There is a sequenced curriculum, which staff understand. Overall, staff reflect the learning intentions in their interactions and support given to children. Staff plan activities with children's interests in mind and make good use of opportunities to build on children's knowledge and skills. For instance, as children create their own 'pizzas', staff teach them how to use scissors to cut ribbon. They support children to concentrate and persevere when learning is more challenging, to help them successfully master these new physical skills.

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

• Leaders and staff have worked closely with the local authority to successfully address the actions raised at the last inspection. Improvements to recruitment and vetting ensure the suitability of staff, including on an ongoing basis. There are now sufficiently qualified staff in the nursery to meet requirements and to meet the needs of children that are cared for. Staff have received training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Leaders have reviewed the curriculum and monitor staff teaching to ensure children receive good-quality learning experiences.
• Staff benefit from routine supervision meetings and express that leaders are supportive of their well-being. Leaders have improved how they observe staff. They offer coaching and support to the good-quality teaching staff provide. However, some processes are not yet fully embedded to help focus more precisely on staff professional development, particularly in relation to broadening staff's skills and knowledge in developing children's speaking and listening skills.
• Support for children SEND is good. Leaders and staff are passionate about providing every child with the very best early education. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that the right support for children is implemented to meet their needs. Staff have targeted plans for their learning, which incorporates advice received from external agencies. This helps children with SEND to make good progress from their starting points and supports them in readiness for their transition to school.
• Children benefit from plentiful opportunities to develop their physical skills. Staff support children to become confident in their coordination and control of their bodies. For instance, children confidently kick and throw balls, they climb and manoeuvre around outdoor climbing equipment, to make their way down slides. Staff recognise and value these opportunities to help children take age-appropriate risks. They help children learn the importance of active play in contributing to their overall health and well-being.
• Staff plan activities which motivate children to learn. For instance, staff read stories and share favourite nursery rhymes, as they teach younger children how to move their bodies to action songs. Older children learn how to hold pens as they take part in creative play, talking about their favourite colours. However, sometimes staff do not fully consider the learning intentions for children to help focus teaching more precisely on what they want children to learn next.
• Leaders and staff place a strong focus on supporting children's personal, social and emotional development. Children understand expectations around behaviours. Where children need additional help with understanding their emotions, staff give them time to acknowledge their own and each other's feelings to help them understand the impact of their actions on others. This helps to support children in developing good social skills, including in readiness for their next stage in learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus staff professional development to broaden their knowledge of how to support children's speaking and listening skills
• enhance the planning of adult-led activities to focus more precisely on the intended learning experiences for children.