A B C Day Nursery & Pre School Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

There is a calm, happy and sociable atmosphere at this nursery. Staff are excellent role models. They have high expectations for all children and want them to flourish through high-quality learning experiences. Children develop warm and trusting relationships with their key person and each other. Staff are committed to helping every child succeed and are attentive to their needs. As a result, all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), feel well supported and show positive attitudes towards learning.

Children behave really well. They play cooperatively with each other and respond well to the routines and boundaries in place. Children thrive on the praise they receive from staff for their efforts and achievements. This helps to build their self-esteem and confidence.

Children are highly motivated to play and learn. They benefit from interesting activities, which are tailored to their interests. Children show good levels of concentration and are keen to take on new challenges. For example, children in the pre-school room persevere to use spoons and scoops to put balls inside different-sized containers. Toddlers have a go at connecting different magnetic blocks together, and pre-school children use tweezers to pick up water beads.

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

• Children have access to a balanced and broad curriculum. Staff provide children with a range of exciting and interesting opportunities that develop children's curiosity for learning. Staff demonstrate that they know the children well and can talk about where children are in their development. However, while staff are generally able to discuss the curriculum intentions, their teaching does not consistently focus on what they want children to learn next.
• The manager has an ambitious vision for the nursery. She regularly evaluates the quality of the provision and identifies strengths and weaknesses in practice. Staff are supported to improve their performance through coaching, supervision and training. There are clear systems in place to ensure consistency within the nursery. However, the deputy managers do not receive enough training and support to enable them to fulfil some parts of their role confidently and develop an oversight of the whole nursery. As a result, they are not always aware of where to find some pertinent information when the manager is not present.
• Children develop good communication and language skills. Staff support children's early language development through fostering a love of books, songs and rhymes. Staff take every opportunity to extend language, introducing new words and engaging children in meaningful conversations. For example, when exploring tubes, staff introduce the word telescope to pre-school children.
• Toddlers take turns to choose a song from the 'song bag' and join in with words and actions. Children in the pre-school room find out about animals that hatch and refer to non-fiction books for information.
• Staff use everyday opportunities to develop children's mathematical skills. For example, when rolling balls down pipes, staff count how many there are and predict with the children how they can make them go faster.
• Staff are good role models for children. They are kind and nurturing. There is an effective key-person system in place. Staff spend quality time with children to establish secure relationships, supporting them to feel safe and secure. Key persons successfully meet children's individual needs.
• Relationships with parents are positive. Staff gather information from home about children's achievements, interests and routines on an ongoing basis to provide a personalised experience for all children. Staff share information with parents on how they can support their child's learning at home.
• Children with SEND are supported well. Staff listen to parent concerns and seek advice promptly. They recognise and identify any concerns early on, working closely with the local authority to get additional support as needed.
• Children's independence is nourished from a very early age. They enjoy carrying out tasks for themselves. Staff ensure that mealtimes are social occasions. Children sit together at tables. They are supported by staff to develop conversation skills with friends. Children are developing an understanding of healthy lifestyles.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to have a clearer understanding of the curriculum intent so that their teaching consistently focuses on what they want children to learn
• enhance the leadership skills of the deputy managers and increase their levels of confidence and oversight of the whole nursery's provision and systems.