York House Day Nursery And Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff carefully plan a well-designed, ambitious curriculum based on children's interests. They consider what children know and can do to ensure they provide opportunities to build on their next steps in learning successfully. There is effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff provide extra support in the curriculum planning to ensure that all children make the best possible progress. Children learn to manage their behaviour for themselves and to be kind to others. They feel safe and secure, settle quickly and are ready to engage in the nursery day.

The key-person system is a particular strength across the nursery. Staff are aware of their key-person role and responsibilities. They have a good understanding of the importance of forming secure bonds with the children to support their emotional development.

Children benefit from lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills, particularly outside. For example, children balance along wooden beams, learn to peddle tricycles and skilfully climb the steps to use the slide. Staff support and guide children well, providing positive interactions, which raises children's self-esteem and motivates them to learn successfully.

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

• Older children show a positive attitude to learning, especially in focusing their speaking and listening skills. Staff help babies and toddlers to learn words through reading books, naming colours and shapes in creative play, and using sign language to help non-verbal children to understand meaning.
• Children of all ages are happy and settled in the warm and welcoming environment. Overall, staff support children's communication and language development well. There are many varied opportunities for older children to engage in conversations and share their thoughts and ideas as, for example, they knead dough into different shapes. At times, less experienced staff do not engage and interact with children effectively to extend their learning further.
• Staff promote children's behaviour well. From a young age, children learn to share and take turns. Toddlers show they understand simple explanations of how to behave. Staff support pre-school children well to manage their feelings, helping them to name their emotions and to resolve any issues independently.
• Children of all ages develop a love of books and stories, and they identify and use rhyming words. Older children repeat familiar phrases from favourite stories and are beginning to identify initial sounds and recognise other words beginning with the same letter. This helps children to begin to use longer and more complex sentences in their communication. Babies choose books to cuddle up and look at with staff. Toddlers engage for long periods with staff, telling stories with great enthusiasm in the garden to support their language and enjoyment of books.
• Staff encourage children to learn about healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from a range of home-cooked, healthy and nutritionally balanced meals cooked from scratch by the resident chef. They follow good hygiene routines and learn about the importance of washing their hands thoroughly. Children enthusiastically get ready for lunch, helping one another to tidy away. Staff initiate discussions about favourite vegetables and show children how to hold their cutlery to enable them to cut up their own food. This helps children to develop independence skills in preparation for the next stage of their learning and starting school.
• Children benefit from activities to enrich their experiences and learn about the world and different cultures. They explore and learn about one another's lives, beliefs and languages, and they go for regular outings in the local community. Staff ensure that children who are learning to speak English as an additional language feel valued and included. For example, they find out about their culture and familiarise themselves with key words in their home languages. In addition, staff use sign language with all children to support and enhance their understanding.
• Parents share very positive feedback regarding their children's provision. They state, for example, that their children thrive in the care of kind and caring staff. They appreciate the thorough updates from staff, who support any specific requests in relation to children's care routines and learning. Staff know the children well and develop special relationships with the children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support less experienced staff to develop their engagement and interactions with children to extend their learning further.