Welbourne Primary Academy Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery and separate from their parents with ease. They settle in quickly and adopt positive relationships with staff, showing they feel happy, safe and secure. Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. They are independent learners and engage in a wide range of outdoor activities. Children put their 'wellies' on and show delight when splashing in the muddy puddles. They learn about the world around them. Staff support children as they examine pumpkins and learn new information about how they grow. They observe the size, shape and colour of pumpkins. Children investigate different parts of the fruit, such as the seeds and slimy texture inside.

Children enjoy singing their favourite nursery rhymes with staff. They actively join in with the actions and repeated refrains. Children keenly anticipate the part where they jump up and down, pretending to be bunnies. They have fun and giggle with delight. Children are kind, caring and considerate towards each other and play cooperatively together. They demonstrate good manners and regularly say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children follow instructions and are learning to share.

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

• Parents speak highly of the nursery and feel part of their children's learning journey. They say they are 'involved in the planning process' and contribute to their 'individual plans'. Parents talk confidently about the good progress that their children have made during their time at the setting. They value the online information that they receive about their children's care and learning.
• Key staff know children well and have an in-depth knowledge of child development. They make regular observations of what children know and can do, and use this information to plan what they need to learn next. Children are prepared well for the next phase in their learning.
• Staff promptly identify gaps in children's learning. They support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. They speak regularly with other professionals to review children's progress and share information about children's learning and development. Staff provide targeted support to help children move forward in their education.
• Babies excel in their development. For example, staff provide opportunities for them to access activities at a higher level to encourage them to stand. This helps to build the muscles in their legs, ready for walking. Staff commentate on their play and name objects to enhance their language development.
• Children enjoy healthy, balanced meals and snacks. Staff support children with an intolerance or dietary requirement well. Children use knives to butter their bread at snack time and develop the necessary skills to chop and peel fruit. Staff praise children for their efforts, which boosts their self-esteem and creates a positive can-do attitude. Children concentrate and persist when problems arise. For example, children try to peel a banana but have difficulty removing the first section. Staff offer guidance to help them achieve what they set out to do.
• The leadership and management team have a clear vision for ongoing improvements for the nursery. They have identified strengths and areas for further development, such as the noise level in the room affecting children's concentration. The leadership and management team are trying to resolve this swiftly.
• The experienced and well-retained staff report that they feel supported by the leadership and management team. They meet to talk about their well-being and address any issues. However, managers do not arrange supervision meetings for staff or support their continued professional development on a regular basis.
• Overall, staff support children's development of the English language well. Children who speak English as an additional language are valued and encouraged to improve their vocabulary. Staff gather some key words in children's home languages from parents. However, staff do not provide enough opportunities for children to use their home languages during play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• establish more regular programmes of supervision and continuous professional development for staff to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level
• increase opportunities for children to use and hear their home languages during play.