Woodpeckers Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a homely, warm and friendly atmosphere in the nursery. The provider ensures that children's well-being and enjoyment are at the heart of everything they do. Staff listen to children's ideas for activities and use their interests to inform planning. Children often go to staff to join in games, listen to stories and to have a reassuring cuddle.

Staff are clear and consistent with their expectations for behaviour. They have embedded the rules well and successfully support children to remember these throughout the day. Children are enthusiastic and keen to join in with activities. They eagerly await group games and thoroughly enjoy singing and dancing together. Staff are engaging in their interactions with children. They demonstrate high levels of commitment to their role and to the children they care for.

The provider closely monitors children and ensures that they all make good progress from their starting points. Staff are sensitive to individual needs and give children the time and patience they need to master their next steps in learning. Staff put small, achievable targets in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff encourage children to try things for themselves, praising their achievements and building their independence and self-esteem. Children are supported to become confident, happy learners.

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

• Children benefit from the carefully planned curriculum, which builds on what they can do and what they already know. Staff use regular assessment to identify and close any gaps in children's learning. Where gaps are identified, staff are quick to implement effective strategies to address them, such as one- to-one support.
• Adult-led group times are highly successful at supporting children to make targeted progress. For example, children exclaim with excitement as they learn which objects sink and float. Staff support them to take turns, listen to each other and make their own predictions for each object. However, at times, when staff are supporting alongside children's own chosen play, they are less confident about how to extend their learning. This means that, on occasion, children are not consistently challenged in their learning.
• Children are immersed in a language-rich environment. Staff promote new vocabulary in a variety of ways, such as reading stories, singing songs and imaginative play. They read books with expression and help children to understand the story by engaging them in role playing the characters. Staff repeat words clearly for children to copy and ensure they have the correct pronunciation. They use resources such as Makaton signing and picture cards to enable all children to express their needs.
• Staff explore different rules with the children, helping them to think about and understand why they are important. For example, children know how to use the climbing frame and slide safely so they do not hurt themselves or their friends.
• Staff build close, trusting relationships with the children. They regularly ask them how they are feeling. Children are able to use both picture cards and words to express how they feel. They often think about others and ways to make them happy. For example, they offer their friends a chair at the table and praise each other for good drawings.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about different festivals and celebrations throughout the year, such as Diwali, Easter and Christmas. However, they do not consistently provide children with opportunities to share their own cultures and traditions. This does not support children fully to enhance their self-identity and understand the similarities and differences in the community.
• Leaders and staff are reflective practitioners. They work well together and use the advice from other professionals to evaluate the quality of education and care. Leaders place an importance on upskilling the staff to help them provide the best support for the children in their care. Staff report being happy, feeling valued and keen to come to work.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff keep parents well informed on the progress their children are making. This includes offering guidance to support children's learning at home. Parents report feeling listened to and included in their child's journey. They have full trust that together they will support their child to make the progress they are capable of.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to more consistently extend and challenge children's learning during child-led play
• increase opportunities to celebrate the cultural backgrounds of children who attend to further enhance their self-identity and awareness of similarities and differences.