Toddlers At St Barnabas

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly greeted at the nursery door and settle quickly in the care of staff. The arrival routine changed because of the pandemic. Staff decided to keep this practice as it had a positive impact, encouraging children's self-care skills.

The curriculum is focused and ambitious and children make good progress from starting points. Children benefit from learning about their emotions. When reading stories, they are able to match emotions to the facial expressions of images in the book. They can then relate to their own feelings. For example, they say, 'I felt sad when I lost my sticker.' Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills as they use tools and participate in outdoor activities. For example, they play football and ride tricycles.

Children are enthusiastic and active learners. Most activities are tailored to their interests and needs. Staff support children's understanding of mathematical concepts effectively. They teach them how to count objects, recognise numbers, and they introduce words like 'empty' and 'full' to help children compare capacity as they play with the water. Children talk about the height of vegetables in the garden and compare them to their own height, using language like 'taller' and 'higher'.

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

• Staff complete accurate assessments of children's development. They have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn next. Overall, children access a curriculum that fosters their interests and builds on what they already know and can do.
• Children display good engagement in the activities that are on offer and display a positive attitude to learning. However, staff do not always see that some children need support when they lose interest quickly and move from one activity to the next. As a result, some children do not benefit as much as they could from the learning opportunities available.
• Staff support children's health well. Children learn to develop healthy lifestyles. For instance, they access fresh air daily, take part in physical activities, and learn to grow and care for the fruit and vegetables they grow in the garden.
• The manager and staff are committed to meeting children's individual needs. Additional funding is used effectively to buy resources and engage specialist teaching, to help close any gaps in children's learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive targeted support from the staff team. Staff work with parents and professionals to support children to make the best possible progress.
• There is an effective key-person system in place. Staff praise the children for their achievements, which, in turn, helps to build children's confidence. Staff encourage children to take responsibility for their own care needs during daily routines. For example, they use the toilet, wash their hands and dress themselves. Children gain the skills that prepare them for school.
• The manager has high expectations for her staff. Effective procedures for recruitment and supervision are in place. Staff say they are well supported, their well-being is considered and professional development is actively encouraged. Recent training has helped staff promote children's communication and language effectively.
• Partnerships between parents, the staff and manager are good. Parents are given regular feedback through the nursery app, daily discussions and formal meetings about children's learning. Parents take part in activities, such as reading to the children, donating to a food bank and attending a 'story café' activity. This ensures that parents are involved in their children's learning.
• Children are making good progress in their language development. They select books for staff to read to them and recall familiar stories from memory. They also recognise words in the environment. For instance, as children paint ice cubes, they follow a colour mixing chart as they combine different-coloured paints, observe how the colours change and how the ice melts.
• Children play cooperatively and staff remind them to share resources and take turns. Children have created their own 'golden rules' and are able to recall them during their play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that staff have an overview of children as they play, in order to intervene in a timely manner and help all children focus on activities and maximise learning opportunities.