Zebedee Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and engaged in this caring and nurturing environment. They feel valued and celebrated and gain a good understanding of what makes them unique through activities. For example, children create 'I'm special' posters at home with their families and bring them to nursery to share with their peers. Children belong to a community where parents and carers are encouraged to be fully involved in the life of the nursery. The manager hosts regular talks to support parents on topics such as screen time, setting boundaries and building self-esteem.

Children's personal, social and emotional development is central to the ethos of this nursery school, ensuring they feel safe and secure during their time there. Through storytelling, role play and celebrating each other's achievements, children learn to respect one another, be kind and make the right choices. Children behave well. They listen attentively and respond promptly to staff.

Children develop a love of learning through exciting and engaging topics that cover all areas of learning, such as pirates, animal babies and knights and castles. They are taken on visits to enhance the learning, for example to see a castle. Through a range of topics, children's vocabulary is enriched and expanded. Staff plan topics around the children's interests and children are encouraged to suggest what they would like their home corner to become. Children enjoy role play, dressing up as doctors and firefighters and acting out scenarios. They explore play dough with fresh herbs and make pretend cakes, counting the candles they add. They enjoy daily art activities, often linked to their topic of the week. For example, they stick shapes with glue to create a picture about a nursery rhyme they have been learning.

Children who speak English as an additional language are well supported and make good progress. Staff speak to them about their home and family and share key words in English for children to learn at home.

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

• Partnerships with parents are very strong. Parents talk positively about the progress their children make and how they are encouraged to be involved in their learning at home. Parents report that communication is excellent and that they are regularly kept up to date with their children's learning and progress. Parents are welcomed into the setting throughout the year to take part in activities with their children, such as science days and coffee mornings.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, staff continued to support children's learning online. This helped to maintain children's bonds with friends and staff.
• The manager and staff are committed to supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work with external professionals to ensure they meet children's individual needs. They put individual plans in place within the setting to enable all children to develop at their own pace when required.
• The dedicated manager and her long-standing team are passionate about the children being ready for the next stage in their education and developing essential life skills. They encourage children's independence throughout the day, such as finding their names to self-register on arrival, putting on and taking off their coats, pouring their drinks and choosing resources. Children are greeted by the manager each morning and encouraged to make eye contact as they return the greeting.
• Children enjoy learning to count and recognise numbers. They throw beanbags onto number tiles, say the number and then jump that many times. They are supported with their counting if required. Children learn to write the numbers and practise pencil control. However, they are not always reminded or shown how to form the numbers correctly and can be moved on to the next activity before staff have checked the children's understanding of concepts.
• Children develop their physical skills indoors and outdoors. They practise for sports day in the local church garden, running, skipping, hopping, throwing and balancing beanbags. However, more consistent demonstration from staff would further enhance their skills in this area.
• Staff report they are well supported. They meet regularly and work closely to plan activities and next steps for the children. Leaders work effectively with schools to support transitions, inviting the children's future teachers to the nursery to meet the children before they start at their new school.
• Children develop an understanding of the diverse world we live in through engaging in topics such as 'children around the world'. Staff share their cultural experiences with the children, supporting them to understand people's differences.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consistently include demonstrations when teaching adult-led activities, so that children fully understand what is expected of them
• allow time for checking and consolidating the learning that has taken place before moving on to the next activity.