Woodberry Down Children and Family Hub Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in the calm and purposeful atmosphere staff create. They thoroughly enjoy attending the nursery and make good progress in their learning, as they independently explore the stimulating resources and activities. Staff work closely together, regularly sharing and discussing the individual needs of the children they care for. They understand that children learn best when they are encouraged to follow their own interests. For example, children who enjoy modelling are provided with a range of construction resources to explore. They build vehicles and houses with the plastic bricks and assemble recycled materials to make their own creations.

Staff focus on children's personal and emotional development. They talk to children about how they are feeling, using picture prompts to support children's understanding and helping them to identify the emotion they are experiencing. Children are kind and considerate to their friends. They share toys and take turns when playing together.

Children's language skills are developing well, including those children who speak English as an additional language. They confidently communicate with staff and their peers. Staff model language, talking to children constantly and asking questions to generate conversation. Children listen well when their friends are talking, allowing them time to express their ideas.

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

• The location of the nursery within the children's centre benefits all of the children and their families. Staff from both settings meet regularly to discuss any concerns and to plan targeted intervention programmes for children, when needed.
• Managers have a very good understanding of the local community and the needs of families who live in the area. They use this knowledge to plan a curriculum that focuses on the key skills children need to be successful in their future learning. The planned provision ensures that children make good or better progress in the prime areas of the early years foundation stage.
• Managers carry out regular supervision of staff and monitor their teaching practice. During supervision sessions, staff discuss their own learning priorities and set development targets. Managers organise training to support them. This means that staff's knowledge and skills are constantly improving.
• Overall, teaching practice is good. Staff join in with children's play, extending their ideas and skills. For example, children playing in the home corner are well supported by staff. While baking cakes, one of the children realises they do not have enough ingredients. They are encouraged to go to the shop, and they take a shopping list with them so that they remember everything they need.
• Behaviour is good. Most children follow instructions well and understand what good behaviour looks like. However, staff do not spend enough time explaining to children the behaviour they expect when they move between activities, including what they expect them to do. For example, during tidy-up time, some children avoid taking part and continue playing. Staff do not remind them why they should be involved or give them appropriate tasks to complete.
• Overall, children demonstrate good concentration skills and stay at activities for long periods of time, practising and refining their skills. On occasion, when children are not fully engaged, some staff do not always identify them and encourage them to take part in play activities.
• Across the nursery, children learn to count and recognise numbers and shapes. Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their small-muscle skills in preparation for writing. They explore letters and their sounds and, when they are developmentally ready, learn to read and write their own names.
• The curriculum is planned to meet the needs of individual children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff swiftly identify those children who may need additional support. Managers use additional funding wisely to ensure that these children meet their planned targets and make good progress. This includes allocating staff to provide one-to-one support, if appropriate.
• Partnerships with parents are very strong. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the care their children receive. They highlight the good communication and how this keeps them up to date with their children's learning and development. This also helps them to support their children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that children understand the behavioural expectations that staff expect as they move between activities, increasing children's participation in them
• further develop some staff skills so that they identify and support children who are not fully engaged in play activities.