Sky High Achievers Hyde

Putting on wellington boots and fastening coats became small steps towards independence in May 2021 at Sky High Achievers Hyde. Encouragement to try tasks for themselves gave children practical opportunities to build confidence.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its May 2021 inspection, while identifying uneven learning opportunities and insufficient support for newer staff. Based at Hattersley Childrens Centre in Hyde, the setting has capacity for 44 children aged 2 to 60 months. The inspection account is a dated picture of nursery life.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning and care here: in May 2021, children practised language, explored numbers through play and worked on managing their feelings. Staff encouraged babies and toddlers to copy words and make sounds; garden discoveries introduced older children to vocabulary such as dandelion. Concrete experiences gave language a purpose.

During that same month, counting, comparing objects and discussing more and less supported mathematical understanding. Emotion spoons helped children express their feelings, giving staff a starting point for emotional support. Children also played cooperatively.

In May 2021, encouragement extended to completing practical tasks independently. Fastening a coat or putting on wellington boots gave children something concrete to attempt, with staff encouraging them to persist. The emphasis was on children doing things for themselves. For families, these examples make independence tangible: it involved the clothing children used, alongside the language and number experiences described above. Staff also modelled kindness and respect in their dealings with children. Cooperative play and growing awareness of emotions connected that example to children's relationships with each other.

Learning was not consistently sustained. In May 2021, some staff concentrated too heavily on the intended result, leaving children unclear about the learning and sometimes losing interest. The improvement required was practical: give children opportunities to revisit new skills and strengthen them through practice.

At the May 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and partnership work with other professionals helped children with special educational needs and/or disabilities continue receiving specialist support. These are inspection-time judgements.

In May 2021, staff's knowledge of individual children and their families informed the support they provided. Connections with other professionals mattered both for children receiving funding and for those needing specialist services. This was a practical element of care: support involved keeping children connected with the services they required. For a family needing several professionals to work together, that coordination is a useful part of the dated account. Children also received messages about healthy living, while emotional support addressed their readiness to return to learning after disrupted attendance.

In May 2021, staff maintained contact with parents despite pandemic restrictions, discussing home life, sharing learning ideas and explaining children's progress. Individual emotional support helped children whose attendance had reduced prepare to return to learning.

Regular supervision and appraisals supported staff development that month, but newer and less experienced practitioners needed stronger guidance to achieve leaders' expectations. This mattered for the quality of conversations that could take children's learning further.

Parent communication in May 2021 connected experiences at home with learning in the setting. Conversations included children's home life as well as their progress, and staff offered ideas parents could use at home. The practical value lay in that exchange: parents could contribute information about their child and receive suggestions for supporting learning. Alongside supervision and appraisals, leaders provided regular training and monitored staff wellbeing. Those arrangements formed part of staff support, but the identified weakness concerned how effectively newer practitioners were helped to put expectations into practice.

The address is Hattersley Childrens Centre, Melandra Crescent, Hyde, SK14 3RB. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

In May 2021, the nursery received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. That funding statement belongs to the inspection period.

• Learning that holds attention. In May 2021, some activities lost children's interest because staff emphasised the end result. Look for opportunities to practise and revisit skills during a visit.
• Support for newer practitioners. Stronger guidance for less experienced staff was required in May 2021. Ask how supervision now develops their interactions with children.

Sky High Achievers Hyde suits families seeking childcare across the year, with weekday opening hours extending from early morning to early evening. Its May 2021 account combines practical independence, language through everyday experiences and emotional support with clear weaknesses in consistency of teaching and staff development. Those improvement points deserve attention alongside the Good judgement.