Your Co-op Little pioneers nursery and pre-school, Reading

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery. They greet the staff with smiles and arrive eager to learn. Children do well in this environment, where staff are caring and responsive to their needs. They make good progress from their starting points, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children move freely as they independently choose from a range of stimulating activities and resources. They are inquisitive learners and remain focused as they explore and experiment by themselves as well as with others. For example, children handle real vegetables in the role-play area and are encouraged to look at recipe books to research how to make vegetable soup.

Children learn to follow a healthy lifestyle. They have many opportunities to enjoy the fresh air outdoors. Children's physical skills are well developed as they run, jump and balance in the garden. They practise these skills further when they go on outings, such as to local parks. Children learn to sort foods that are healthy and unhealthy in a variety of ways, such as during games on the interactive board.

Children develop a love for books. Younger children look intently at picture books as they cuddle up to staff. Older children join in with repetitive phrases, such as in 'The Three Little Pigs' story. This helps them to develop their communication and language skills.

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

• Leaders are dedicated to continuous improvement. For instance, they have identified the need to increase children's knowledge of the importance of oral health. Leaders are in the process of starting a programme across the nursery which will also involve a visiting dentist. Staff are offered training opportunities. However, leaders do not precisely identify individual staff training needs. This means that training is not fully effective in improving curriculum delivery.
• Staff use children's assessments to plan activities specifically for them. For instance, children who have a new baby at home practise changing a doll's nappy. This helps them make sense of the world around them. However, on occasions, staff do not provide enough challenge to extend children's individual learning as they play. This means that children are not always given the opportunity to develop their knowledge at a higher level.
• Children behave well and respond positively to others. They show independence from an early age. Younger children are encouraged to use a spoon and fork to feed themselves. Older children use cutlery correctly, serve their own food and pour water into their cups. This prepares them well as they move to their next stage of learning, including their move to school.
• Children are supported to develop their early literacy and mathematical skills in their play. For example, older children learn to form recognisable letters in their names and correctly count the petals of a flower as they remove them one by one.
• Staff develop positive partnerships with parents from the outset. Parents speak highly of the care and education their children receive. They comment on how quickly their children progress with their independence and social skills. Parents give comprehensive information when their children start at the nursery. They work with staff to devise next steps in their children's learning and development. This helps staff to know their children well and, consequently, children settle rapidly into nursery life.
• Leaders show an awareness of the impact of COVID-19 on some families, who may feel isolated. They plan 'stay and play' sessions at the weekend for new families, so that connections are built with others.
• Staff well-being is considered a high priority. Staff feel supported by the leaders. They talk about the 'coffee and chat' meetings as a helpful approach to further increase their motivation to do well.
• Children's cultures and home languages are valued at the nursery. Parents are encouraged to provide common words in their home language, such as 'book'. Staff are supported by parents to pronounce these words and children who speak English as an additional language hear these when they play. This helps support children's understanding of the nursery routines and makes them feel unique.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review professional development opportunities, so that they are tailored to individual staff needs and help improve curriculum delivery further
• identify more sharply opportunities to extend children's learning when they play, so that each child can progress to a higher level.