Tops Pokesdown

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a warm welcome and a safe environment, which helps children to feel secure. Children of all ages arrive happily and settle quickly. They move around confidently, choosing what to do and interacting well with each other and adults. For example, pre-school children use their imaginations and work together making 'pizza' from play dough and fresh herbs. Staff build on this activity, asking them questions such as whether it is big or small and what flavour it is. Staff consistently remind children about the boundaries for their behaviour and encourage them to share and take turns. Baby room staff ensure that the youngest children benefit from a calm atmosphere.

Staff know children well. They are clear what they want each child to learn and identify and plan for what they need to do next to make good progress. The curriculum is ambitious for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children develop independence skills. Younger children learn how to climb the stairs safely and older children get themselves ready for going out to the park for a forest school session. Staff foster children's curiosity, providing interesting activities that motivate them to join in and explore. For example, children experiment with making 'perfume' with real flowers and fruit. Toddlers develop resilience as they persevere at picking up a slippery wet ball.

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

• Staff work closely with parents to establish what children can already do when they start nursery. They use this information, as well as their own observations of children's interests and ways of thinking, to provide varied learning opportunities, which help each child to make good progress. Staff provide tailored support for children who need additional help, setting achievable targets and using resources, such as visual prompts and an attention bucket, to help them get the most from their time at nursery.
• Children are busy and eager to learn. Staff use effective teaching methods and provide interesting resources and activities, which engage and motivate children to explore. Staff ask for, and value, children's ideas and offer praise for their achievements. However, on occasion they do not extend children's learning as far as possible.
• Children and staff enjoy warm interactions. There is a strong focus on two-way communication and staff encourage children of all ages to communicate. There are measures in place to support the high number of children who speak English as an additional language. For example, staff ask parents for key words in their home languages. However, they do not always have the confidence to use these in the nursery to support children's language development and do not make best use of existing resources, such as dual language books.
• Children behave well. They readily follow instructions, such as helping to tidy up before lunch, and sit patiently while they wait to go out. They use good manners and help one another. For example, they pass the paint to others during a group activity.
• Children are learning about healthy lifestyles. There is a nutritious menu and they learn about foods that are good for them through activities and discussion. They learn about germs and handwashing and even babies are able to wash their hands at a low-level sink unit.
• The nursery has good links with the local community. For example, children visit the residents of a care home weekly, which supports their social and emotional development. They also use local facilities such as the park, where they take part in forest school activities.
• The manager has worked hard to make improvements since the last inspection. She has put training and coaching in place to extend staff's understanding of the curriculum and how to implement it. This has had a positive impact on children's learning. The manager works with staff to identify areas for development and they have made effective changes, such as dividing the space used by children aged two to three. This has provided a more enabling learning environment. Staff report that they enjoy working at the nursery and feel that managers value and appreciate them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve staff's ability to extend children's learning to help them make as much progress as possible
• provide further support for children who speak English as an additional language to extend their communication skills.