Acorn Academy Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy attending the nursery. They benefit from the calm, inclusive and welcoming environment that staff provide. Children form strong bonds with staff and show that they feel safe and secure. Staff take time to get to know each child and tailor settling-in sessions to meet individual needs. Children quickly build confidence to attend the nursery. They engage with staff and are keen to explore, showing increasing levels of attention. Children show respect towards staff and their peers. They learn to share and take turns as they play. Children are familiar with the nursery routine and what is expected.

There is a true sense of community at this nursery, where staff celebrate children's cultural identities. The majority of children speak English as an additional language or are bi-lingual. Staff use a range of strategies that help children understand and speak English. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support to help them enjoy and participate in nursery life. Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories that staff read to them. They remember words and phrases from the stories and often use them as they play. When children explore the garden for bugs, they talk about the food the caterpillar ate before transforming into a butterfly and start to sing a song that they learned about the story.

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

• The provider has made a number of changes since the last inspection, working closely with the local authority. They have managed staff changes well to ensure children receive as much consistency as possible. The provider has established a clear curriculum that helps children build on what they know and reflects the needs of the community that the nursery serves.
• Staff receive appropriate training and support to ensure that children's individual needs are met and to continue to develop and improve practice. They say that they are well supported in their roles and that they feel valued by leaders. Good consideration is given by leaders to staff's well-being. Staff work well together as a team and have children at the heart of all that they do.
• Staff working with children with SEND are well trained. They take time to understand children's specific needs and are meticulous in documenting their learning journey. They work closely with parents and other professionals to deliver targeted interventions. Staff provide parents with guidance and support to navigate and access professional support for their child.
• Parents are very positive about the staff and the nursery. They say that their children enjoy coming to the nursery. Parents say that they are well informed about their child's progress in learning and what they need to learn next. They add that staff are approachable and welcoming.
• Leaders ensure that any additional funds children receive, such as early years pupil premium, is used in a considered way to give the individual child receiving it the best start in life.
• Leaders are mindful of local published statistics about young children and adapt the curriculum to give children the best start. This includes teaching children about healthy lifestyles. Staff ensure children are physically active and learn about healthy food choices. They teach children about good oral health practices that are informed from professional training through the NHS. Staff provide information to parents about the importance of online safety and introduce this concept with children in age-appropriate ways, such as through stories.
• Staff understand the importance of books and how this supports and inspires children's learning. They provide plenty of books for children to self-select. Books are purposely chosen to teach children specific vocabulary and supporting activities are planned to help embed new learning. This includes books about children's faiths and cultures. Staff encourage children to share information about special celebrations and festivals. This helps children to feel valued and promotes a sense of belonging for all.
• Staff talk to children throughout the day, placing priority on children's communication and language development. However, sometimes staff working with older children tend to ask lots of questions in succession. Although this helps staff to check what children have remembered, it reduces opportunities for children to share more of what they know or to broaden their knowledge through conversation.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on staff interactions with older children to help broaden children's knowledge and conversation skills.