Wickham Bishops Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children understand that when they arrive at nursery, routines have changed because of the pandemic. Staff wearing face masks now meet them and their parents at the main gate. Children competently learn about undertaking risk assessment for themselves. They help complete daily checks, including making sure that the main gate is padlocked to keep everyone safe. Children develop their knowledge over time, and staff are very vigilant to support and further this learning. During snack time, staff teach children that grapes need to be cut to prevent them choking and older children explain this to younger ones.

Children use their exceptional imaginative skills to create and share stories. They talk about visiting 'Aliens in outer space'. Staff prompt children who fluently explain that to get there, 'you have to walk a really, really long way'. While sharing their adventure children make sounds, which they describe are the 'alien's language'. Children are very eager to extend their story, talking knowledgably about what aliens like to eat and do. Other children join in with great excitement, confirming that they too have enjoyed meeting real aliens. Children are articulate and develop very high levels of self-esteem. Extremely encouraging relationships between children and staff build independence and resilience. Behaviour is exceptional, older children negotiate turn taking, while younger ones respond very quickly to the gentle guidance from staff.

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

• Staff work extremely well, taking account of each child's backgrounds and experiences. They use this information to secure success for every child. Teaching is of an exceptional quality and interaction is consistently meaningful for the child and sensitive to their learning styles. Staff allow plenty of time for children to engage in and see tasks and activities through. The café style snack bar means that children stop and have snack when they are ready. Children play and learn at their own pace.
• Staff carefully observe children to help them plan an environment that invites children to take part and builds on their interests. Staff promote active learning that enables children to evolve their critical thinking skills.
• Children demonstrate a growing knowledge of shapes and numbers. They confidently identify groups of different amounts, counting out seven or four shells respectively and identifying the correct numeral that represents these values. Staff have high expectations and all children are well challenged and make extremely good progress.
• Children enjoy sensory play, manipulating dough, or chalking and splashing in bubbly water. They concentrate extremely well as they fish for sea creatures. Older children learn that when a sea creature is placed in the drainpipe, they can make them move down the pipe by pouring in water. Children quickly discover that the more water they pour the faster the object is moved by the force of water. Younger children are encouraged to name the wide variety of plastic sea creatures, and share observations about where they live.
• Staff skilfully encourage children to take risks and consider how they can make activities safe for themselves and others. Children learn to collaborate and take turns, discussing, drawing up and agreeing their nursery rules.
• Parents speak very highly of the staff team. They talk about how staff go over and above their expectations, for example, studying topics that interest their children, to extend their understanding. Parents appreciate the support staff provide, such as when dealing with bereavement or planning for new additions to their family. Staff respect children's backgrounds and cultures. A wide range of celebrations are organised throughout the year. This enables children to learn about each other and the wider world they all come from and share.
• Staff take individual responsibility for their professional development. One of the results of this, while not planned, is that staff are extremely competent and very able to use their increasing knowledge and understanding of child development. They provide excellent learning opportunities that make a real difference to all children, including those in receipt of additional funding. The manager recognises and agrees that if she identifies the collective needs of the setting, she can better coordinate this professional development to raise practice still further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the supervision of staff to ensure an effective program of professional development is wisely planned, and chosen with care, to take account of the context and performance of the setting.