Tilford Meadow Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and settle quickly at the nursery. They are greeted by caring and devoted practitioners, who welcome them warmly and draw them into friendly conversation. Children feel safe and secure in this nurturing environment. They are confident to seek comfort and reassurance from practitioners when they need it.

Children listen carefully as the manager engages them in a meaningful discussion about visiting the dentist. They share their own experiences as they eagerly ask questions and explain their knowledge about how to care for their teeth. Children demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning and are beginning to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Resources and activities are arranged to inspire and motivate children to actively learn as they play. For example, children enjoy exploring the inside of pumpkins and apples. They scoop and cut the fruits carefully with different tools while investigating the textures and seeds inside. Enthusiastic practitioners are on hand. They support younger children in making comparisons between the different sizes of fruits and explain how seeds can be planted for growth. Children benefit from high-quality interactions to support their learning.

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

• The manager ensures that an ambitious curriculum is implemented consistently at the nursery. She has a strong knowledge of how young children learn and develop and is passionate about providing a high level of care and education. Practitioners work together to make sure that each child's progress is continually monitored and shared with their key worker. Practitioners are aware of how to identify any gaps in children's learning. Consequently, all children make good progress.
• Practitioners are confident at supporting children to develop their literacy skills. They enthusiastically read books to them, encouraging children to make up and remember stories with picture prompts and props. In addition, children engage in a range of mark-making activities throughout their day. Younger children thoroughly enjoy painting small pumpkins, and older children experiment with chalkboards in the inviting outside play space.
• Parents are exceptionally happy with the great level of communication and support they receive from the manager and their child's key worker. They share that they can easily access information about their child's progress and are frequently invited in for parents' evening. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities describe how much they value the support and information they have been offered by the manager. Parent partnerships are strong.
• Children develop some good independence skills. They actively put on their wellies and waterproof clothing as they get ready for outside play. However, occasionally, practitioners support some older children with simple tasks they could do for themselves. As a result, children are not consistently challenged as much as possible.
• Children are supported in understanding good manners and how to play nicely with one another. Older children understand the importance of sharing resources and how to take turns. Occasionally, practitioners give inconsistent instructions without an explanation. Consequently, at times, children do not fully understand the reason for certain rules and do not always follow them.
• The well-being of practitioners is supported well. They share that the manager understands the burden of paperwork. She implements strategies to support them in making this less time consuming so that they can be always with the children. The manager also completes regular supervisions with each practitioner to ensure their ongoing suitability and identify any training needs that arise.
• Communication and language skills are fully encouraged and supported by practitioners. They engage children in conversation at every opportunity and frequently introduce new words. For example, younger children play with toy cars and look at books with pictures of different vehicles as practitioners repeat the names of them clearly. Children are supported in gaining a broad vocabulary.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop a more consistent approach to helping children understand the behavioural expectations of the nursery
• enhance the support for older children to complete more simple tasks for themselves, to extend their independence skills even further.