Thrive Pudsey

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are safe and happy at this nurturing and stimulating nursery. Staff greet children with care and enthusiasm, so they feel valued and secure. Staff support children to develop good social skills. Children play cooperatively with their friends. For example, they make play dough together and then share it out. Staff praise children for their kindness towards their peers. The manager and staff have created a strong sense of community within the nursery. Parents comment about the warm and caring atmosphere and how excited their children are to attend.

Staff have high expectations for children. They support them to learn through play. Children follow instructions, and they are well behaved and considerate towards each other. Staff are good role models, who show a genuine interest in what children do and have to say. Staff plan a curriculum that supports children to make good progress in their development. Children develop confidence in their own abilities and are keen to test out new skills. Older children confidently tell visitors what they like doing.

Staff take children on regular visits in the local community. Children enjoy walks to the park and regular trips to the library. Staff use these trips to raise children's awareness of the world around them and the people who live in it. They also enrich children's learning experiences and help to prepare them for their future success.

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

• The dedicated and passionate manager is clear about what she wants children to learn. Staff provide an inclusive, well-balanced curriculum, which offers challenge to children's learning and development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Close partnership working with other professionals and agencies helps staff to meet the needs of all children. The manager is highly reflective of practice and committed to making ongoing improvements. She makes sure that staff's well-being is given high priority. She provides on-the-spot gifts and opportunities for staff to continue their professional development.
• Staff plan a range of well-thought-out activities and experiences. These are based on children's interests and what they need to learn next. For example, the youngest children enjoy feeling and exploring the texture of the soil in the sensory tray. Older children mix paint and share what they know about the colours they have made. The well-qualified staff use spontaneous moments to extend children's learning in literacy. Children have free access to books in all areas of the nursery inside and outdoors.
• Parents are keen to share their views of the nursery. They say that their children enjoy attending and make good progress in their development. Parents value the feedback they receive from staff through daily discussions and the online application. Parents like the ideas that staff share to support children's learning at home and the wide range of outdoor play and community opportunities provided.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. They sit alongside children to read and retell stories. Songs and rhymes play a big part in the nursery curriculum. Children who are still developing their language use musical instruments to join in. However, at times, staff who are less confident do not make the best use of their interactions with children to extend their developing communication skills as much as possible.
• Staff promote children's healthy lifestyles. For example, they teach children that eating fruits and vegetables is good for them. Children demonstrate good handwashing and self-care skills. Children learn to feed themselves from a young age, with staff close by to support them when needed. Older children serve their own food and clear away their plate independently. Children learn about good oral hygiene routines. They confidently use their toothbrush and look in the mirror as they brush their teeth. Staff remind children to brush round and round and side to side.
• Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills. They enjoy spending time in the nursery garden, where they climb, balance, and move their bodies. In the local community, children visit a forest school to support their understanding of the natural world and keeping safe. The nursery also offers planned sessions at the local leisure centre, where children access water confidence lessons.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support less-experienced or less-confident staff to raise the quality of their interactions and support for children's communication and language to a higher level.