Guinea Lane Nursery in Bath has retained its Good Ofsted rating following an inspection in March.
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The report, published earlier this month, says that leaders have clear intentions for what they want children to learn.
They place focus on the prime areas of learning and help children to develop the skills they need to become confident learners.
The inspector says: “Children shine with independence and staff support this from an early age.”
Leaders and staff are said to have high expectations for children’s behaviour. Staff are positive role models and reinforce good manners.
The report also highlights that staff have good awareness of how children learn. “They use observations and assessments well to identify children’s interests and next steps in learning.”
They support children to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts from an early age.
Staff also plan exciting and varied activities that they know the youngsters will enjoy. They take the children on a variety of outings to enhance their understanding of the world.
Leaders are said to use self-reflection to positively impact on the overall quality of care and learning. For example, a recent revamp of an unused area of the garden now provides children with a specific area for planting. This space also provides an outside area for staff on their breaks.
The report says partnerships with parents are good and there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.
To improve further, the inspector has asked the nursery to plan more precisely for younger children’s individual next steps to maximise their learning, as well as strengthen support given to less experienced staff to ensure that interactions support babies’ emerging communication skills.
The nursery should also ensure that staff deploy themselves effectively to make full use of the outdoor areas.
The nursery is based in St Mary’s Church Hall and has 104 children on the roll.
