White House Nursery Shirland

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children throughout the setting play happily and are excited by the inviting activities and resources on offer. Staff are attentive and quickly engage children as they draw them in, encouraging them to take part and share in the fun. They take time to carefully observe children and build a secure understanding of children's interests and developmental needs. For example, children enjoy handling and playing with natural materials, and so staff add a wide variety of loose parts into children's play areas to encourage independent exploration. Babies delight in these experiences, focusing their attention as they work out how to push wooden pegs through curtain rings. They look up and smile when staff clap and praise their efforts and repeat the action again. Children demonstrate that they feel secure and settled in the nurturing environment.

Children join in enthusiastically during outdoor games with their friends. They listen carefully and learn to follow instructions. Children behave well and play cooperatively. When playing a parachute game, children laugh and giggle as they practise moving their bodies in different ways, while staff sing along to a familiar song. Children benefit from regular opportunities to get fresh air and make good progress in their physical development.

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

• Children develop a strong sense of belonging that helps them to settle quickly and form positive relationships with the staff. Staff are skilled in fostering children's emotional security. In the baby room, children feel reassured seeing photo displays of their families, and they delight in looking at and sharing them with their key person and other children.
• Leaders and managers are experienced and skilled. They are passionate about shaping a curriculum that helps all children reach their full potential. Staff benefit from regular training opportunities to further develop their knowledge of child development and effective practice. Most recently, staff have focused on supporting children's language development. Managers and staff are reflective and continually consider how they can adapt and further improve the provision.
• Staff support children well and have high aspirations for their behaviour. Children learn to be polite and develop good manners, especially at mealtimes. At times in the toddler room, less-experienced staff struggle to effectively engage with children or help them to manage their behaviour. This leads to some children disengaging with activities and disrupting others.
• Staff give very good attention to developing children's love of books and stories. Storytime is a key part of the day and one which all children enjoy. Babies snuggle up with an adult to share a book, and toddlers proudly point and name the main features of the 'Gruffalo' while they look through the book together.
• Older children are keen to select books independently and demonstrate good listening skills during group story times.
• Children's communication and social skills are promoted well at mealtimes. Staff engage children in lively conversation, and children are keen to share their news and ideas with others. They confidently express their needs to staff, politely asking for another drink or requesting a second helping. Children enjoy the nutritious, home-cooked meals, exclaiming 'this is tasty'.
• Parents and carers appreciate the welcoming atmosphere. They comment that staff take time to share information about their child's progress and development. This helps them know what their child is working on and how they can support learning at home. Parents feel reassured that staff tailor care to meet children's individual needs.
• Staff interact well with children during their play and activities. They use careful questioning to find out what children already know and support them to build on their previous learning. Children demonstrate their awareness of some mathematical concepts by ordering and matching objects and spontaneously counting while they are playing. However, children are not always encouraged to use or further develop their understanding of mathematical language, for example when playing in the water or during physical activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review staff deployment in the toddler room to ensure staff are able to effectively meet the needs of all children and manage their behaviour
• support staff to further develop children's mathematical language through play activities.