Whitwood House

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The passionate leaders create a nursery environment, where children feel extremely safe and secure. They develop a strong ethos of 'everybody counts', which means staff at all levels work hard to ensure children's voices are heard and their opinions are valued. This gives children a lovely sense of belonging at the nursery.

Leaders and staff have high expectations of the children and what they can achieve. They have designed a sequenced curriculum that carefully supports children to build on what they already know and can do. This helps children to gain the skills they need to move up through the nursery rooms and then eventually on to school.

Leaders implement a robust key-person system. Settling-in sessions are tailored to the individual child. Key persons gather lots of information about children before they start. They make accurate ongoing assessments of the children's development. Children's next steps are well planned for and provide sufficient challenge. Children are making good progress at the nursery.

The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. Additional funding is used effectively. Targeted plans are implemented with integrity and, due to this work, children with SEND are making good progress.

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

• Overall, interactions are of a high quality. The pre-school room is a strength of the nursery. For example, staff plan an exciting sock puppet activity linked to the story 'Stickman'. They revisit puppet designs made earlier in the week and enjoy seeing their designs come to life. They sew, glue and measure wool for their designs and engage deeply in their work. However, interactions are not consistently of a high quality. At times, staff overload younger children and babies with too much information and do not present language in the clearest way possible, to further extend their skills.
• Staff prioritise the children's emotional well-being and help them recognise their feelings and emotions. For example, staff support children to register how they are feeling when they arrive at nursery. They help children understand their feelings and emotions through conversation and visual aids.
• Leaders provide staff with regular supervision meetings. They effectively monitor staff interactions with the children and follow up by identifying areas for improvement. Staff are supported to further their knowledge and understanding of child development through professional opportunities. Staff welfare is prioritised. leaders implement an open-door policy to ensure that staff can raise concerns about children's welfare and/or possible delays in development in a timely manner. This ensures swift action is taken and referrals are made to professionals quickly.
• Leaders have ensured that fundamental British values are embedded throughout the nursery and children know that their voices are heard and respected. For example, children feedback whether they enjoyed their meal to the cook with coloured tokens. They vote on which activities they would like to do next. Staff encourage children to take turns and share their toys.
• Staff encourage children to be independent and manage things for themselves wherever they can. For example, they wipe their noses, serve their own lunches and scrape their plates when they have finished. These skills will support children when they eventually move on to school.
• Staff prepare children well to move up the nursery and for their eventual move to school. Teachers are invited to visit the children in nursery. Staff share relevant information with receiving teachers to ensure continuity and children make the best possible start.
• Children's large-muscle development is promoted well. Children play outside in the well-organised garden which is equipt with various apparatus to support children's core strength development. They also enjoy regular trips to local woodlands to explore the natural environment and raise their heart rates.
• Parents are very happy with the nursery. They report that the staff feel like an extension of their family. They appreciate how the settling-in procedure is tailored to their child's individual needs. They are thrilled with their children's progress and are grateful for all the information they receive about their children's progress and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the staff's knowledge of language development, to support younger children's communication and language skills to a higher level.