St Marys Church of England Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children are keen and eager learners. They arrive happy and excited to explore activities on offer and leave their parents with ease.

They are greeted by attentive staff, who are genuinely pleased to see them. The hall is bright, welcoming and child friendly. The education programme is influenced by the children's interests, what they need to learn next and weekly themes, such as autumn.

However, children are not offered sufficient challenge to extend their learning. For example, knowledge of how children learn is variable and staff do not consistently consider potential learning opportunities when planning activities, wh...ich has an impact on children's progress. However, while there are some weaknesses in promoting children's learning, children demonstrate they are confident, feel safe and form friendships with others attending.

They have established close, trusting bonds with their key person.Children receive praise and encouragement for their efforts and achievements. The nurturing staff are gentle in their approach and know the children well.

Those that need additional help are supported. The lack of challenge means children lose interest in activities quickly and wander, finding their own amusement. However, they do understand the routines and expectations in place and they generally behave well.

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

Staff get to know the children and observe them well as they play. However, they are not always ambitious and do not consistently challenge children to learn more. This means that although children make some progress, staff do not fully support them to make the best possible progress they can from their starting points.

Staff work closely as a team. Management now provide effective supervisions to check staff's well-being. They encourage staff with their professional development.

However, the monitoring of staff practice is not focused sufficiently on improving their teaching skills to ensure children make consistently good progress.Children thoroughly enjoy time outdoors. They are mostly able to choose where they play and flow freely from indoors to outside.

They enjoy the fresh air and exercise and have fun using sensory materials, such as sand and a mud kitchen.Children's physical development is enhanced as the nursery employ a coach that visits each week. Large physical skills, such as balancing, running and ball throwing, are supported well as they excitedly take part in group activities and listen with intent to the instructor.

Children are supported with their ideas and to initiate their own play. They access quality resources provided and are confident to ask if they need further toys. Children are busy within the nursery and do sometimes become engrossed in their play.

However, they are not consistently encouraged to develop a deep understanding of how to take care of the things that they use, such as resources, including books, when they have finished with these.Parents speak highly of the team and all aspects of the nursery. They comment how approachable, 'amazing' and welcoming the staff are.

They say their children are very happy to attend. Parents say communication is good and time is spent to transition children smoothly from home to nursery to ensure they settle well. They feel completely reassured their children are in safe hands.

Children are confident speakers. For example, they excitedly ask visitors to the nursery about their visit. They ask questions and show an interest in what is happening during the inspection.

Staff engage children in conversation and have a clear comprehension of how children develop their conversation skills. Children show sustained concentration during group phonic sessions. Staff effectively engage them as they use descriptive words to guess objects in a bag.

Children make very good attempts and receive lots of praise for their efforts.Children enjoy an abundance of healthy snacks and learn how to stay safe and healthy through daily routines. They know the importance of washing hands before eating.

However, the organisation of snack time means play is interrupted, and staff are sometimes busy with other tasks. Therefore, they are not able to focus on promoting children's independence at this time.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve the support, training and coaching for staff to help raise the quality of education and teaching 27/12/2025 develop the curriculum to ensure that it clearly identifies what it is that children need to learn, how this reflects their individual needs and offers appropriate challenge, to help them make at least good progress.27/12/2025 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: help children to understand how to take more care of their environment and resources, particularly when they are leading their own play nimprove the organisation of snack times to ensure that all children are fully engaged at these times.