Wild Monkeys Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All of the children at the nursery benefit from the caring, warm interactions from the staff. They learn the skills that they need to prepare them for future learning. Staff are strong role models. They provide a calm atmosphere and are gentle and respectful. This has a positive impact on the way children behave towards the resources and to each other. Children are well-mannered and caring. Staff support them to understand how to take turns, share and wait patiently when needed.

All children progress well, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff have adopted practices that include all children in activities and provide targeted support for children who need additional help. Children demonstrate their eagerness to join in activities that they enjoy. They immerse themselves in interactive stories that staff read to them. Children have high levels of motivation as staff use their interests to plan a broad and balanced curriculum. Parents provide detailed information about children's existing knowledge and routines. This helps staff to plan exciting activities that challenge children in their learning.

Children are very well supported in their emotional health as staff recognise how each child is different. They offer bespoke settling-in sessions for children who find it hard to part from their parents. This helps children to bond with other adults before they fully begin at the nursery, and parents provide positive feedback about how well their children have settled.

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

• Leadership at the nursery is strong. Staff are provided with regular supervision and extra training, which helps to keep their knowledge up to date. There is a strong focus on meeting each child's unique needs. Through an understanding of each child, staff manage and cater for children's dietary and medical needs effectively. Leaders have a strong focus on building solid partnerships with parents. Parents are regularly invited to contribute to their child's learning and encouraged to be involved in activities at the nursery.
• Generally, staff are skilled and support children to make good progress However, the planning and implementation of some activities is more effective than others. For example, although staff have a clear overall aim for each activity, the delivery of some activities is not always fully precise. Consequently, some children are not aware of what they should be learning, and learning is more incidental than purposeful.
• Staff encourage children with their independence skills. Children access activities and help to tidy away when they have finished playing. Even very young children take responsibility for their own belongings. Staff closely supervise meal and snack times. They encourage children to pour their own drinks and open their own packages. Children persevere and know that they can request help if needed.
• Staff create an environment that is rich in spoken language. Older children, including children who speak English as an additional language, become very confident talkers. Staff use visual cues and hand signs to further support younger children in their communication and vocabulary. Children across the nursery are able to share stories, ask questions and discuss what they have learned.
• Children develop their understanding of the diverse world in which they live. They take part in first-hand experiences, such as walking in the local community, going on a bus ride and buying resources from the shops. Staff organise experiences to help children learn about the lives of others in their local community, such as the police. Activities are planned that reflect children's languages and cultures. This helps children to have experiences that otherwise may not be available to them. Staff work hard to close any gaps in children's learning.
• The indoor and outdoor environments are well organised and successfully support children's physical development. Staff use the outside space to support children's understanding of the natural world. There is apparatus that enables children of all ages and capabilities to run, jump and climb. Staff promote healthy lifestyles effectively. They use every opportunity to support children's understanding of healthy eating, through discussions and activities about foods that are healthy. Parents appreciate the information provided on healthy eating and tips for encouraging good oral health in their children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen teaching skills to focus more precisely on planned learning intentions to help children make the best possible rates of progress.