ABC Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff naturally create a warm, friendly and home-from-home environment for children and their families. Children build strong relationships with their key person and go to them for reassurance and help. Babies and toddlers explore the room independently. Older children confidently leave their parents, rush in and say 'hello' to staff when they arrive. This shows that children are happy, relaxed and feel safe and secure. Children are learning to play and interact with others and are developing good social skills. Staff teach children how to share and take turns through simple turn-taking games. Children show their enjoyment for these games. Younger children excitedly shout, 'Yes! I love this game', when staff ask if they want to play a fishing game. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development.

Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to learn about and be part of their local community. For example, each spring they take part in planting flowers around the town. Staff carefully plan activities to build children's independence ready for school. For instance, younger children confidently feed themselves and drink from open cups. Pre-school children proudly show how they can put their own coats on using the 'coat trick' that staff have successfully taught them.

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

• Leaders are passionate about their role and reflective. They strive to provide an ambitious curriculum that gives high-quality care and education to all children. There is effective support to help manage staff's workload and well-being. Staff are encouraged to engage in regular training opportunities to continually improve their knowledge and practice. A yearly awards ceremony builds staff's confidence and creates a positive ethos in the nursery. Staff work well as a team and deliver a well-sequenced curriculum that builds on what children know and can do. This gives children a strong foundation ready for school.
• There is very good support to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children have the resources and equipment they need in the nursery and at home. This helps all children reach their full potential.
• There is a shared philosophy among staff that they are 'the calm in the storm' when children need additional help to manage their feelings and behaviour. Staff give children a hug or the time and space they need when they become overwhelmed. This helps children learn how to regulate their emotions.
• Staff provide a wide range of activities and opportunities for children to experience. For example, babies and toddlers love exploring a Christmas sensory tray full of exciting Christmas objects, such as snowmen, baubles and lights. However, staff do not always use these opportunities to excite and engage children in their learning. Children do not always fully immerse themselves in these activities and often wander off after a short period. This means children's learning is not always fully extended.
• Parents are very positive about the personalised support and care they and their children receive. They appreciate the regular communication about what their children are learning and the progress they are making. Parents talk about the support that staff give them to help their children at home, such as practical ideas for toilet training. This supports continuity of learning for children.
• Children are developing a love of books and stories. Staff enthusiastically read to children. They talk about the pictures and check children's understanding. Older children independently bring books to staff to read, and they look at books with their friends. Parents are encouraged to use the nursery's lending library to share books at home. This supports children's early literacy skills. However, staff do not always use book sharing and other opportunities to support children's early language and communication to help them become confident communicators. For example, staff do not consistently engage in back-and-forth conversations, introduce new vocabulary for younger children or give detailed explanations when older children make comments or ask questions.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make the most of all opportunities to excite and engage children in activities so that children develop their involvement and attention to fully extend their learning
• support staff to fully understand how to support children's early language and communication to help children become confident communicators.