Young Stars Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They identify and implement targeted plans to meet the individual needs of children. Children benefit from staff receiving training from other professionals to meet their individual needs, such as to build on their physical movement. Furthermore, children are supported to develop their core muscles and strength in their bodies. For instance, when staff use tools to make bubbles float into the air, very young children kneel and reach to pop the bubbles. Younger children move their bodies to action songs when they are asked to pretend to be penguins, lions and dinosaurs. Staff support children's early speaking skills well. For instance, they repeat words they say when speaking to very young children. Staff sing songs to children and name objects they play with.

During group times, older children are supported to listen and respond to questions, one at a time, to help promote positive behaviour. Staff ask children to choose how to reward their achievements, either by doing a rainbow clap or a thumbs up. Children chose a rainbow clap and join staff in clapping their hands several times as they make a semi-circle shape in the air. This helps children to understand that their views are valued and appreciated.

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

• On certain days, staff invite parents to come into the nursery to play alongside their children. This helps parents to understand how their children are learning. Staff support parents to continue their children's learning at home, such as to make sensory bottles, play dough and read to their children. This helps to provide a united approach to supporting children's development.
• Staff support children to develop their mathematics skills. Older children learn how to recognise numbers and count a given number of objects. Staff help them to recognise the number for the date of the month.
• Additional funding that some children receive is used effectively to meet children's individual needs. For example, staff purchase puzzles to enhance experiences for children to follow their interests and develop their mathematics skills. Furthermore, new books and puppets are added for staff to use when they read to children, helping to enhance their communication and language skills.
• The management team reflect on the experiences they offer children. Recent changes include the addition of further playrooms that enables children of similar ages to play and learn together. However, sometimes, staff do not fully support most-able older children to be challenged in their learning. For example, during a planned activity, staff do not challenge all older children to build on what they already know and can do.
• Staff are supported to extend their professional development. Recent in-house training helps staff to discuss how the curriculum to support children's independence is implemented for the different ages of the children. For example, staff support very young children to make choices about what they want to play with. Younger children scrape left over food from mealtimes in a bin. Older children put on their shoes before they go outdoors.
• Staff offer children a nutritious range of meals and drinks to promote healthy eating. Staff help children to understand the benefits of food on their bodies. For example, children tell staff what they have previously learned, such as that carrots will make them see in the dark. Staff talk to children about vegetables making them grow big and strong.
• Staff know their key children well and what they need to learn next. However, this information is not fully shared across the staff team. At times, during children's play, staff do not recognise how best to help some children with their learning. Therefore, sometimes, children do not make the best possible progress.
• Children are supported to share and take turns. For example, staff ask younger children to pass toys and resources they play with, doing this willingly, such as passing bubble mixture to their friend. Older children are reminded to stand behind each other to make a line, when they play a game of hopscotch outdoors. Children patiently wait their turn.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to build on the individual learning needs of the most-able older children during activities
• strengthen the sharing of information about what children need to learn next between all staff so that their learning is further supported during play.