White House Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this warm and welcoming nursery. They confidently separate from their parents and quickly settle down to play. Children demonstrate affectionate bonds with the caring staff. For instance, babies snuggle on staff's laps for stories and turn to them for cuddles and reassurance. Toddlers and older children flock around the activities led by staff and are keen to involve them in their play. Children behave well. They enjoy their time together and develop firm friendships. There is a good focus on healthy lifestyles for children. The nursery routine includes daily physical exercise in the garden. Children enjoy nutritious meals and learn good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands and brushing their teeth.

The manager and staff want the best for all children. They get to know them well from the start and provide attentive care and focused learning opportunities. Children are enthusiastic about learning and happily participate in the various activities. For example, babies joyfully take part in song and rhyme sessions with staff and older children. They develop social confidence and discover that interacting with others is fun. Babies eagerly participate by babbling and by copying actions using their hands and fingers. This helps to develop their language and physical skills.

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

• The manager, who also owns the nursery, has successfully addressed weaknesses identified at the last inspection. She has worked with staff to strengthen their safeguarding knowledge and to ensure that no unvetted staff are left unsupervised with children.
• The manager has improved opportunities for supervision and training, to help staff develop their practice and raise the quality of teaching. For example, staff can now access a range of online learning. This has motivated them to expand their childcare knowledge further.
• Children benefit from abundant opportunities to develop their speech and language skills. For example, during 'sparkle time' sessions, staff skilfully captivate children's attention. Children listen intently, learn new words and begin to focus for extended periods. As a result, all children, including those who speak English as an additional language, become confident and skilful communicators.
• The manager and staff have made significant improvements to the planning and delivery of the curriculum. They have developed clear aims for children's learning at each stage of their development. Consequently, children access a broad range of learning experiences, which are effectively sequenced to support their good progress.
• Staff are enthusiastic and generally teach children well. However, on occasion, they overlook spontaneous teaching opportunities, particularly during outdoor play. For instance, children have been learning about winter. They show interest in the frost and ice which have formed in the garden overnight. However, staff are focused on encouraging children's physical play, and miss this opportunity to further extend their knowledge.
• Children clearly enjoy their learning. For example, they are eager to explore an activity where staff have frozen small items into blocks of ice. Children thoughtfully consider how best to melt the ice. They make predictions, such as whether hot or cold water will be more effective. Children are eager to try out their ideas, and confidently share their findings.
• Staff are positive role models. They support children's behaviour effectively, using clear and consistent guidance. Therefore, children play alongside each other in harmony, and the setting is calm. Pre-school children demonstrate excellent social skills. For example, they are kind and supportive as they play a matching game. They follow the rules independently and offer helpful hints to their friends.
• Children have good opportunities to learn about the world around them. For example, they meet people and learn about their community during visits to the library and journeys on public transport. Staff provide books and resources which reflect different ways of life. They celebrate significant cultural events, such as Christmas and Diwali. This helps children to respect their differences.
• Parents say that staff create a nurturing 'family feel'. They appreciate the attentive care, which helps children to settle quickly and feel secure. Most parents are happy with the feedback on nursery activities and their children's learning experiences. However, some would like more regular and specific information about their child's progress, to help them continue children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to identify and make the most of spontaneous learning opportunities for children, in particular when they are playing outdoors
• ensure that key persons provide all parents with regular updates on their children's individual experiences and progress, to help them continue their children's learning at home.