York Gardens Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settle quickly upon arriving at the nursery. They form strong attachments with staff, who give them lots of praise and reassurance. Children of mixed ages play together, which enables them to develop their social skills effectively. They learn to share and take turns to secure good behaviour. Children respond positively to the high expectations for their learning. For example, they listen well and follow instructions during group activities. Children are motivated to sing nursery songs and rhymes, which helps to widen their vocabulary. They receive good levels of support to understand the daily routines, including the use of a visual timetable.

Children enjoy daily indoor and outdoor activities, which enables them to develop their knowledge and skills in preparation for school. For instance, they test and improve their physical skills while on the slide and ride-on toys. Children also have lots of fun as they experiment with chalks on the big easel, supporting their early writing skills. They take delight in developing their mathematical skills, such as when they recite numbers and complete jigsaw puzzles. Children show that they feel safe and secure.

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

• The manager is very passionate about her role and responsibilities. She is particularly committed to supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds to secure good outcomes in their learning.
• Staff build an effective partnership with parents. They keep parents informed about all aspects of their children's learning and development. Consequently, parents speak highly of the manager and staff. They appreciate the support they receive and recognise the benefit of this for their children. This highly successful partnership between parents and staff benefits children well.
• Staff also develop a strong partnership with a range of professionals, such as occupational therapists, to support children with additional needs. For instance, they follow a programme of activities from the therapists to strengthen children's physical skills. This practice contributes to a consistent approach to children's learning.
• Staff find that the manager is caring and supportive of their work. They value the opportunities to continuously develop their knowledge and skills. For example, some staff have gained a higher qualification, which has given them more confidence in their teaching practice. Other staff have completed training in sign language to help them to further promote children's communication skills.
• Staff observe and assess children's learning accurately. This enables them to identify and address swiftly any gaps in children's learning, such as speech delay. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points in learning.
• Children become independent learners. For example, they have a good go at putting on their own coat for outdoor play. Children move around freely and make choices about their play.
• Staff promote children's good behaviour. They give children sensitive support, which builds on their self-esteem and confidence. There are times, however, when staff are too quick to intervene when children encounter conflict during play. This does not support children to manage their feelings and emotions as effectively as possible.
• Children learn about people and cultures outside of their immediate experiences. For example, they hear different languages and celebrate various events at the nursery. This practice raises children's understanding of diversity.
• Overall, staff promote children's good health. For instance, they encourage daily exercise and fresh air to support children's physical growth. However, some staff do not always wash their hands after cleaning children's noses. This does not ensure the highest level of hygiene practices.
• The manager is a reflective practitioner. She regularly evaluates staff's teaching practice to ensure that children receive high-quality care and education. One of the recent changes made is to the organisation of group activities, intended to enhance children's concentration levels. This has had a positive impact on children's learning experiences.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children to resolve conflicts during their play, helping them to manage their own feelings and emotions more effectively
• review staff's hygiene practices to ensure that these are implemented consistently to fully promote children's health.