United Play

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident as they arrive at nursery and are greeted by their key person. Children happily turn to wave goodbye to their parents. Children are independent. They hold their own belongings and carry them into nursery. They find their name and picture on the pegs, and know they need to hang their belongings up before they go and choose what to play with.

Children are keen to join in play and activities with adults and other children. For example, with a staff member to support them, older children mix ingredients together to make yellow play dough. Staff are enthusiastic and encourage children to take their dough outside to find other items that are yellow. Children stand up, shout 'yeah!' and go to get their belongings before they go outside. Children are proud of their achievements, as staff praise them for their efforts and when they succeed.

Children work together and are respectful of one another. In the nursery 'forest area', children ask each other for ideas to contribute to stories they are making up. Staff support quieter children to engage, offering suggestions to add to their stories. Children pause to allow others to answer questions from staff. Children build a 'fire' together, add various items, such as 'prawns and fish' to it and cook them, while another child keeps the fire going.

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

• Leaders, managers and staff have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn. They have sequenced learning in place, that supports them to plan a meaningful curriculum.
• Staff know the children well. This helps them to plan individual learning for each child. Staff identify any children who require further support with their development. This includes children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Staff support children to develop and use new skills. For example, pre-school children are shown how to sweep up sand into a pile, using sweeping brushes and a dustpan. Children persist as they sweep up sand into a pile themselves and then manage to get it into the dustpan. Staff model and use hand gestures to show babies how to use a cup to drink. Young children watch, then hold their cup in the same way staff have shown them. They begin to drink independently.
• Children's physical development is promoted well. Babies learn how to stand up independently and staff put their arms out and encourage children to take steps. They use praise and encouragement as they count children's steps. Pre-school children climb onto tree stumps, stand, balance, then jump off. Some children have a helping hand from staff as they develop the confidence to jump independently.
• Staff support children to understand and manage their emotions. For example, when children become frustrated when playing in the sand and take themselves to one side, staff promptly go to them. They speak to children about how they are feeling and offer ideas to support them to re-engage with the sand play. Children seek a reassuring cuddle from their key person when they need comfort.
• Leaders and managers support staff through supervision processes. These help to identify what staff do well, what they need to improve on and any further training they may need. Staff are aware of their own professional development targets, such as supporting children's learning outdoors. Staff report that managers allocate training to support them with this.
• Parents say that they are happy with the nursery. They are pleased with the ways the nursery communicates with them. For example, they get verbal information at the end of the day, they receive newsletters and parents' meetings are offered. Parents know the specific learning their children are working towards at nursery. They mention how they use this information to support their children's learning at home.
• Children's communication and language is generally supported. Staff label and repeat what children say and engage in children's play. However, they do not consistently introduce children to new vocabulary. For example, at snack time, staff say 'pear' and name items at lunch, but they do not extend or introduce conversations or ideas consistently. This prevents children from developing language beyond what they already know.
• Children are encouraged to try a range of foods, even if they have tried them before. However, these foods are not always healthy options. For example, children are given biscuits and cake for snack and at mealtimes, with no alternative food, such as fruit, to choose from. Staff do not support children to understand that cakes and biscuits are unhealthy if eaten too often.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further support staff to consistently introduce children to new vocabulary, to develop children's language beyond what they already know
• further develop staff knowledge about healthy and unhealthy choices, to support children to understand how to keep themselves healthy.