West Looe Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive to the setting happily; they are eager to explore the environment and resources available to them. Children know and understand the routines of the setting well. They hang up their coats, wash their hands and self-register. Children and parents feel safe and confident in the environment and have positive, trusting relationships with staff. Children are supported well by staff to manage their behaviour. Some children manage their own feelings and behaviour independently and offer support and reassurance to their peers. Children benefit from a varied curriculum and staff encourage their creativity. For example, children use their imagination to act out their own stories and games using a range of resources. Children's interests are identified and resources are provided to extend their learning, such as various fabrics which children use to make their own costumes or dens.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the setting has made some substantial changes to its provision. They have increased the age range of children to include babies, developed the rooms and extended the opening hours. Staff identified that children's personal, social and emotional development was impacted from COVID- 19 and report that children are now very settled from the consistency in the environment and the staff team.

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

• Staff plan and provide a broad curriculum. Children confidently explore books and have an understanding they can have different purposes. For example, they follow a recipe from a cookery book as they make meals for staff when playing in the home corner. Staff support children with their mathematical development by modelling language and encouraging children to problem-solve in activities.
• Staff know the children well and use their interests as a basis for the activities they provide. However, staff are not always clear on what activities to plan to best support children with their next steps in learning. The manager recognises that staff are adapting to new ways of working and has plans to support and develop this further.
• Staff encourage children to be independent. Children's behaviour is good; they are learning to take turns and share. Older children learn to take care of their environment and are encouraged to tidy away toys and resources. Staff model how to use new resources or equipment, resulting in children feeling confident to explore them independently.
• Children are very confident physically. They have many opportunities to practise their gross-motor skills. Babies enjoy actively climbing, jumping and running across large shapes made from soft material. Older children adapt resources to make an obstacle course and enjoy many opportunities to test out their own ideas.
• Staff ask children many questions, to challenge their thinking. However, staff sometimes ask questions in quick succession. This means that children do not have the time that they need to think about what has been asked so they can respond.
• Children have strong attachments to staff, which has a positive impact on their well-being. Children enjoy choosing songs and rhymes to sing, using visual pictures on display in the room. This supports less-confident children to make choices. Younger children initiate their choice of song using sign language and movements. Staff respond enthusiastically supporting children's language well.
• Staff have discussions with the children about the weather when outside so the children are able to connect what they are describing to what they can see and feel. Children are currently learning about safety as the equipment is often wet from the rain. Children are starting to risk assess for themselves what is safe and how they might be able to make things safer. For example, children make a pretend bonfire and decide to put cones around the bonfire to ensure it is safe.
• The manager is reflective and has ambitious plans for the setting. She continually evaluate the environment and resources available to children. Staff feel valued and benefit from some professional development opportunities to improve their knowledge and practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more support and coaching for staff to further enhance the planning of activities for children, taking into account children's prior knowledge and what they need to learn next
• support staff to develop their questioning skills further to ensure they give children the time that they need to think and respond.