Wise Owls Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and parents or carers are greeted with warmth by familiar staff on arrival at the nursery. They settle quickly into play with their friends and their chosen resources. Children build close relationships with staff who know them well. They seek them out for play, comfort and reassurance. This helps children to feel safe and secure in their care. Staff arrange the play environments specifically to provide children access to resources that interest them to engage in learning activities. For example, the oldest children know where to find items for rolling, cutting and moulding play dough. They discuss with their peers which items to select and bring to the table. Children independently use the skills they have learned to roll the dough and cut out various shapes.

Children behave well. This is because staff use timely reminders for children to be kind to their friends and clearly explain why not to do things. For example, climbing on chairs can cause us to slip. The youngest children learn how to use manners. For example, the staff model giving and receiving toys and saying, 'please' and 'thank you', which helps babies to know when to use these words. Children gain the skills and understanding they need to prepare them for the next stage of their learning and the eventual move on to school.

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

• The setting has devised a well-thought-through curriculum with clear intentions for children's learning as they grow and move through the rooms in the nursery. For children who are new to the setting, staff gather information from parents, which helps them know how to settle these children and provide for their interests. However, there is scope to gain further details from parents about what children know and can do to focus the plans for their next steps in learning from the outset.
• Staff consider all children's learning needs well, including those who require additional support. They adapt their teaching to support each child's learning needs during activities and experiences, such as when building with large-scale construction resources. Staff talk with children and model language, which helps them develop the vocabulary and confidence to ask for help themselves.
• The development of communication and language is consistently strong across all areas of the nursery. Staff model clear speech and sentence structure in conversation. They regularly sing rhymes and read stories, often pausing for discussion to encourage children to practise their speaking skills. Toddlers join in actions with excitement and sing the words they know alongside enthusiastic staff.
• Children show strong exploratory impulses, which continue from babies through to pre-school. For example, babies investigate animal resources, turning them over while staff point out the legs and the tail. The oldest children experiment while playing in water, filling a tube and dropping in small pom-poms to watch them wiggle on their way down to the bottom.
• Independence is promoted generally well. Babies learn to feed themselves and use furniture to pull themselves to standing. Older children learn to manage their toileting needs and wash their hands following good hygiene practices. Older children help to set up and tidy away after mealtimes. That said, the opportunities for children to develop and strengthen their self-help skills at mealtimes are not consistent enough for children to fully master these skills.
• Toddlers show a high interest in well-known stories. For example, they play with straw, sticks and toy bricks to build houses for the three little pigs. Children can recall the sequence of the story during play and discussion with staff.
• Managers ensure that staff receive the tailored support, training and guidance they need to fulfil their duties and continue their professional development. Staff say they feel supported and have the time to reflect on and develop their practice.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery and their relationships with staff. They comment on how well their children are progressing in their development. Parents say they are happy with the detailed information they receive on collection and in the communication they receive online.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build further on the information gained from parents when children first start to help inform and focus the plans for children's learning from the outset
• provide consistent opportunities for children to strengthen and develop their self-help skills at mealtimes.