Watermead Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they are settled and feel secure in the nursery. This includes staff playing peekaboo games with very young children. In response, children form positive relationships with staff as they giggle and laugh when they interact with them.

Children are supported to understand how to behave positively. For instance, staff model with younger children how to share fruit. Staff have rules in place when children access the woodland area. Children show they understand these, telling visitors that if they want to go on the swing, they ask their peers and if they say no, they need to wait their turn. Staff help older children to understand similarities and differences between themselves and others. This includes explaining to older children that some children learn in different ways, when referring to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Children have plenty of experiences to develop a love of books. Children sit well when staff read them stories. Younger children are asked to pretend to be animals in a book, such as to hold their arms up high and pretend to be a giraffe. Older children, including those with SEND, are asked questions about the images they see on the pages. This helps children to stay focused and engaged.

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

• Children with SEND are supported very well. Staff work in partnership with parents and other professionals to meet children's individual health and learning needs. Additional equipment is sourced to ensure children are able to join in activities, to promote inclusive practice. Additional funding that some children receive is used effectively. For example, staff provide one-to-one support to focus on developing children's abilities to make choices.
• Staff provide children with a variety of experiences to be creative. Children use cotton wool with paint to make marks on paper. Staff show older children how to use flowers and a hammer to create colours and patterns on material.
• Staff work in partnership with parents to support children's learning. Information is shared with parents about how staff intend to help children progress in their development. Parents are invited to share photos of children's learning and achievements from home.
• Children understand the routines in the nursery and show an eagerness to join activities staff plan for them. These are well matched to children's known next steps and support children well to gain the skills they need. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning, including school.
• Children behave well. They listen to and follow staff's instructions. For example, staff ask older children to help set tables for their peers at lunchtime. Children arrange plates, cups and cutlery on tables and receive praise from staff for their achievements, helping to raise their self-esteem.
• Staff's well-being is supported effectively. For instance, they can speak to the management team when needed. Staff receive information about contact numbers to speak to counsellors. They have time away from children to complete paperwork, helping to promote a home-work life balance.
• Staff help older children to build on their vocabulary. For example, they introduce descriptive words, such as 'shiny' and 'sparkly', when children use paint. However, the support for younger children's language skills is not as effective. For instance, at times, staff do not communicate with children when they play alongside them to provide a language-rich environment.
• Children are offered healthy meals to promote a nutritious diet. Children help staff to plant and grow vegetables in the garden. Children learn how foods grow and tell visitors that when the strawberries grow, they will eat them.
• Staff identify a curriculum to support children's independence. They implement this well, giving older children choices in play and encouraging them to serve their own food. Younger children competently remove their own shoes and learn other tasks, such as washing their own hands and hanging their coats up. This further supports children eventual move to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on staff's knowledge of how to strengthen the support for younger children's early language skills.