Trinity Corner Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, confident and motivated to learn in this nursery. Staff are responsive to children. There are noticeable warm and affectionate relationships between staff and children.

Children develop strong physical skills. Babies stand and hold staff members' hands as they practise their walking skills. Toddlers walk along balance beams with confidence. They have great fun working cooperatively to master the use of the see-saw. Older children manipulate dough with their hands, carefully forming different shapes to create bones for the skeleton. Children enthusiastically express their own ideas and creativity. For example, older children look at themselves in the mirror and create self-portraits. Staff support children by role modelling and giving examples, but they allow children to follow their own interests. This builds self-esteem, and children proudly show off their achievements.

Children behave well. They show respect for one another and staff. They are reminded to follow the nursery rules, such as using 'kind hands' and walking inside. Children use their manners when they ask for something and show kindness towards other children as they invite them into their play. As a result, children know what is expected of them.

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

• Good progress has been made to address the action and recommendations raised at the last inspection. The leadership team has worked hard to ensure that staff follow a clear and sequenced curriculum in each nursery age group. Staff know children well. They carry out regular observations and assessments of children's learning. Staff plan activities and experiences focused on what children need to learn next. As a result, children make good progress in their learning.
• The leadership team and staff are committed to providing an inclusive setting. They liaise effectively with other professionals to gain necessary guidance, support and training. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support to help them achieve targets set for them. This ensures that they make good progress in their development.
• Staff place a high priority on developing children's communication and language skills. For example, children actively engage in singing songs and rhymes. Staff consistently model new words and language. They ask children questions to test their understanding and develop conversations.
• Overall, staff provide good opportunities for children to develop a love for books. For instance, children freely access books and are keen for staff to read to them. During one-to-one time, children show interest as they look inquisitively at books and pay attention to staff as they describe what is happening in the story.
• However, during the toddlers' group story-time, there are lots of distractions, such as staff walking through the room to access other areas of the setting. As a result, toddlers find it difficult to hear and remain engaged.
• Children learn to be independent. Younger children are encouraged to spread cheese on their crackers and to put on their coats, while babies are supported to feed themselves at mealtimes. Older children self-serve at lunchtime and take care of their personal care needs. This helps children to become self-sufficient.
• Staff provide young children with a range of adult-led creative activities. For example, toddlers become engrossed in making marks with paint and various brushes. However, once the adult-led session is completed, the activity is tidied away. Therefore, children's ability to independently revisit and try things out at their own pace is not always supported as well as it could be.
• Staff receive regular supervision and training. They feel supported in their role and, consequently, staff retention is excellent. The leadership team monitors staff practice. However, the feedback staff receive is currently aimed at the quality of activities and capturing children's interests. It lacks focus or coaching to target and improve their teaching to a consistently high level.
• Parents and carers are highly complimentary about the nursery. They talk about the overwhelming support they receive from the staff team. They say that staff provide a thorough handover and exchange of information through daily conversations and the online platform. Parents and cares also value the support they receive to help build on children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give more consideration to how the environment can best be managed so that children are able to focus and consistently hear what is being said to them
• enhance the monitoring of staff practice further to ensure that they receive focused feedback and coaching to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high level
• provide even further opportunities for children to independently revisit activities that enable them to practise their skills at their own pace.