YMCA Greets Green

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this vibrant nursery. They are very well settled with familiar staff who know them well. Children are excited on arrival to see staff who greet them with open arms. Children go to staff for cuddles and reassurance, which they receive in abundance. This helps children to feel safe and secure in their care. Children have great fun outdoors at this nursery. For example, children keenly follow the steps together as anticipation builds during a playground rhyme. They giggle and squeal with delight as they excitedly disperse, running in all directions across the space. Children show consistently high levels of engagement in their chosen play. They confidently take on challenges. For example, babies focus to build towers of various shapes with staff and their peers. Staff provide well-timed support and encouragement which helps children to actively contribute to this game. Older children closely follow staff's instructions to spread butter onto their bread while they talk about healthy foods and what they would need in a packed lunch. Children receive lots of praise for their achievements, which helps raise their self-esteem. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They respond well to staff's gentle reminders to wait and take their turn. Children know the behaviours that are expected of them. They learn about their own emotions and those of their peers. Children begin to form close friendships with their peers and are kind to each other, giving each other toys. They are polite and use their good manners to say 'please' and 'thank you' without prompt. Children are highly motivated and immerse themselves in play and learning activities throughout the nursery. All children make consistently excellent progress and are exceptionally well prepared for their next learning stages and eventual move on to school.

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

• Leaders and managers have developed a curriculum which is highly ambitious for what children can achieve. Staff make effective use of the information gathered from parents when children first start and make precise plans to build on the skills that children already have from the outset. Learning is carefully sequenced to provide the right amount of challenge for children and is based on what children are interested in and what staff want children to learn next. As a result, children make rapid progress in all areas of their learning.
• A high focus is placed on communication and language development for all children. They enjoy singing familiar songs and listening to stories, read expressively by enthusiastic staff. Staff use their expert skills to include new vocabulary and ask questions which prompt children to think and respond with their ideas. For example, toddlers talk with staff about their chosen colours to make a postbox. Staff build on their knowledge of how letters and parcels are collected and sorted for delivery. They consistently model clear language exceptionally well. As a result, children become confident talkers who are eager to use their developing vocabulary to share what they know.
• Staff are perceptive and know each child well. They provide timely interactions so that children can continue to develop their skills. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work with outside agencies and parents to ensure children with SEND have the support they need to learn and achieve. For example, staff are innovative. They use and devise tools such as signs, gestures and pictures to help non-verbal children understand what is said and communicate their wants and needs with others.
• Children have regular opportunities to revisit activities to deepen their understanding and secure their newly learned skills while they lead their play. For example, toddlers work together using a ladder frame and drainpipe to build a ramp. They use their problem-solving skills to decide and agree on where to place the pipe. They each choose from the array of vehicles and take turns adding their cars to the pipe. They cheer excitedly together as their cars speed down to the floor.
• Children quickly develop independence in this setting. Staff provide a 'self-care station', where children access drinks, tissues and other items to manage their care needs. Toddlers manage their personal care with little support and the oldest children manage these tasks for themselves.
• Leaders and managers provide admirable support and guidance to all staff. This guidance is tailored to their needs and helps them to fulfil their roles to ensure they are highly effective in their interactions with children. Staff take ownership of their own learning and development. Leaders support staff's interests and provide personalised training so that staff can progress in their preferred direction or to higher-level roles within the organisation.
• Parents are extremely complimentary of the nursery and staff. They say their children thrive in the nursery. Parents say their children are enthusiastic to attend and that their children make consistently high rates of progress. Parents comment specifically on the high quality of detailed information they receive about their child's care and learning and how they are well prepared for school life.