ABC Day Nursery (Willenhall) LTD

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel safe and secure while attending the nursery. They seek out familiar staff when they need reassurance. They settle quickly after a cuddle and absorb themselves in the range of activities on offer. This is because children have secure relationships with their key person. Younger children explore sensory trays of flour and pasta. They practise their fine motor skills by picking up the pasta, which helps to develop their pincer grip and writing skills. Children giggle in sheer delight in the garden as they concentrate while balancing on the tyres. They cheer when they successfully jump off at the end. This helps to develop their coordination skills.

Children enjoy listening to familiar stories. They re-enact familiar parts of these in their play. For instance, they build on their hand-eye coordination as they pour pretend tea for the 'tiger'. Children are polite while having their snack. They say 'thank you' when staff offer them their drink. Children develop their listening skills through a range of activities. For example, staff use musical instruments to play a sequence of sounds for children to repeat them. Staff provide an abundance of praise when children successfully repeat the sequence. This gives children a sense of pride in their achievements.

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

• The nursery has made significant improvements since its last inspection. Managers and staff have a shared vision of inclusivity. They have adapted the planning to focus on children's individual next steps to ensure that they make the expected progress in their development. Overall, staff understand expectations of children's learning and implement this well. However, some staff who are less confident do not always extend children's learning by adapting their teaching techniques to support children to build on their knowledge further.
• Children are familiar with routines. They follow their peers to line up, ready to go out into the garden. However, at times, some children wait for longer than necessary as staff are not always prepared for these transitions effectively. This means that some children struggle to stay focused and can become a little disruptive.
• Staff provide a language-rich environment and different activities to ensure that children build on their vocabulary. For instance, when children see an aeroplane in the sky. Staff talk to them about the difference between an aeroplane and helicopter. They introduce new words, such as propeller, when they describe the difference. Children confidently take part in these discussions and try to practise the new word they have learned.
• Children learn how to regulate their behaviours. Staff take the time to talk to children about the different emotions they may feel. For example, children draw pictures of what makes them feel happy. They giggle as they describe their picture to the staff. This helps children to bring meaning to these emotions.
• Children follow good self-care routines and wash their hands before they eat. Staff sit with children as they enjoy their meals and snack. They encourage children to have a try at peeling their own banana or pouring their own drinks, helping to develop their independence.
• Parent partnership is good. Parents comment positively about the nursery and say that staff are kind and caring. Staff share information with parents about their child's learning during parents' evenings. Parents comment that the support their children receive from their key person has resulted in them making good progress since they started attending.
• Staff receive supervisions to discuss their key children and ongoing professional development. They attend regular staff meetings to discuss improvements within the nursery. This includes relevant training to support them in their practice.
• Children acquire skills in preparation for going to school. Staff focus on these from an early age, encouraging children to be confident with communication and making friendships. Children learn about the rules and boundaries to keep themselves safe during their time at the nursery. This gives children the foundations they need for their future learning.
• The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator works with other professionals to ensure that appropriate plans are in place for children who are falling behind in their development. They work in partnership with the local authority to share information in a timely manner and provide appropriate support.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support less confident staff to develop their teaching techniques to help them adapt activities and extend children's learning even further
• review the organisation of transition times to ensure that children are not waiting for extended periods of time and remain focused in their learning.