Active Kids Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and ready to learn at this nursery. Staff develop positive relationships with children. They are sensitive to their needs and support them to feel safe and secure. Children are familiar with the nursery routine and independently follow this with ease. Even in the youngest age groups, children help to tidy up after themselves and gather in groups for circle time and story time. Children are learning how they are part of a community.

Children in the baby room choose their favourite books and take them to staff members to read to them. They point at animals in the story books and copy as staff name the animals. Older children enjoy recalling the story of 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. They act out the story, saying 'swish' 'swish' as they walk through the grass. Children are developing a love of stories and books across all age groups.

Children's behaviour is good. They say 'please' and 'thank you' and are kind to each other. Staff regularly praise children for good behaviour and provide opportunities for them to learn to take turns and share with their friends. Children are learning a sense of what is right and what is wrong.

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

• Key persons know the children well. They use what they know about children through observations and assessments to plan for what they want children to learn next. Children are making good progress in all areas of their learning.
• Staff have recently completed training to help them to understand further how they can support children's mathematical development. Children as young as two are confident to name numbers, shapes and colours. Staff introduce these concepts from an early age. This is supporting children to develop their mathematical skills.
• Staff support children to develop a wide range of vocabulary. They listen carefully to children and repeat back what children say. They add extra words to help to extend children's language. For example, when a child says 'car', staff repeat back 'red car'.
• Children recall what they have previously learned. For example, while eating fruit at lunchtime, children remember that they have tasted a pineapple at the nursery. However, staff do not always ask children further questions to help them recall further details about past learning and to help them make links between different experiences.
• Babies and young children develop a sense of identity and belonging. Staff use mirrors with children. They use words to describe children's expressions, such as 'happy' and 'sad'. Children laugh and point to their nose and eyes as they look in the mirrors. Older children talk about the similarities and differences between them.
• Parents describe the nursery as being a happy place for their child. They acknowledge that children's communication and language skills develop well while attending the nursery They describe how their children are more confident and have built relationships with other children and staff. However, while parents know what their child is learning, not all parents understand how they can further help their child to develop their learning at home.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Leaders use funding well to support children's individual needs. They purchase resources to help children feel safe and secure in the setting, such as sensory toys. In addition, they provide one-to-one support for children who need it to further support their development. Children with SEND are making good progress in all areas of learning alongside their peers.
• Leaders and managers have made vast improvements since their last inspection. There are regular opportunities for staff to talk to managers about children's learning and development. In addition, regular coaching sessions with staff enable the manager to identify any learning and development needs. The manager has identified several training opportunities for staff, such as enhancing their safeguarding knowledge and understanding of how children learn. This is supporting staff to keep children safe and helping children make good progress in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff skills in how to use questioning to encourage children to recall past learning and make links between different experiences
• further improve communication with parents so that all parents have information about how they can further support their child's learning at home.