Three Gables Children Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery with smiles and confidence. They separate from their parents with ease and appear happy and eager to start their day.

Children thoroughly enjoy each other's company. For example, young children follow each other around and cuddle up in cosy dens. Furthermore, older children work together to complete puzzles. When they have a problem, they ask their friends for help. Staff remind children to use their manners and speak about the importance of listening to what their friends have to say. This helps to support children's social skills and emotional well-being and helps to increase their awareness of respecting each other's views.

Children demonstrate an eagerness to play and learn more. This is because there is a wide range of stimulating activities on offer that capture their attention. For instance, babies are mesmerised as they watch staff blow bubbles into the air. They concentrate intensely as they eagerly attempt to catch them in their hands. Other children explore with water as they scoop, fill and empty containers and watch it flow down pipes. Older children make their own 'volcanos'. They concentrate intensely as they experiment with different potions and joyfully watch the lava spill over and erupt.

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

• The manager is very passionate about providing a high-quality service and learning experiences for children and their families. The team of staff say they are like 'one big happy family'. Staff feel well supported in their role and continually hold discussions that help to further develop their knowledge and skills. They are very reflective and ongoing adaptations and improvements are continually made to the learning environment. As a result, staff are very clear about their responsibilities in providing children with the best care and learning experiences.
• The curriculum is well sequenced and ambitious. Staff have a secure knowledge of what children can already do. They follow children's interests and plan enjoyable and exciting topics that will help to support their next stages of learning. All children are making good progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Staff deploy themselves effectively and generally support children well as they engage in purposeful play and learning experiences. However, at times, some staff over-direct children's play. They do not always identify when it will be more beneficial to allow children to explore their own ideas. This prevents children from maximising their own investigations and learning experiences.
• Overall, partnerships with parents are strong. Parents state that their children are happy in the loving environment and they have seen their child thrive and grow. Staff provide parents with updates of children's development, things that they do throughout the day and inform them of what future topics are planned. However, staff do not always provide some parents with ideas or suggestions of how they can further extend their child's specific next steps in learning at home.
• Staff support children's communication and language well. They continually speak to children and encourage them to repeat words, such as 'dip', 'pop' and 'float'. Children sing songs and rhymes and enjoy reading books. Staff skilfully ask children questions and eagerly await their response. This results in children being chatty and confident communicators.
• Children have excellent opportunities to explore their local community and surrounding areas. For example, they visit parks and woodlands and meet with rangers to discuss different animals. Furthermore, they have recently visited the beach to further extend topics of 'sand, sea and the ocean'. This helps to bring children's learning experiences to life and they gain a greater understanding of the natural world around them.
• Children's independence skills are promoted well. For example, they pour their own drinks and carry out their own self-care needs, such as washing their hands and wiping their nose. Additionally, children know the importance of wearing sun hats and cream to protect themselves from burning. This helps to support children's understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and prepares them well in readiness for school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's teaching skills further so that they allow children to carry out activities in their own way and do not over-direct their play and learning
• improve ideas and suggestions shared with parents so that they can further support their children's specific individual needs and next steps in learning at home.