Apple Blossom Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this friendly and relaxed nursery and develop very strong relationships with staff. They greet staff with enthusiasm and seek them out when they are upset or overwhelmed. Children thoroughly enjoy singing action songs with their key person. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) speak very highly of the supportive and caring staff. They feel staff have been highly instrumental in identifying children's needs and arranging the necessary help and support for their families. Children are safe in the nursery. Staff supervise children carefully. They are alert to any potential dangers. For example, they act swiftly to remind parents and visitors of their policy on the use of mobile phones.

Children behave well. They thrive on consistent daily routines. Staff have clear expectations which they remind children of. For example, when staff remind children to line up, children do so quickly, putting a hand on their friend's shoulder. Children wait patiently for their lunch while other children serve themselves. Staff are keen for children to make the best possible progress and the curriculum is generally ambitious for all children.

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

• Staff know what they want children to learn. They have a clear focus on communication and language and how they can help children develop their skills further. They have acted on advice from training and the local authority and use a range of strategies, such as pictorial or real objects, to support children's language further.
• Staff know their children well and plan a range of experiences to complement their experiences at home. For example, they place a high priority on physical development as some children do not have gardens at home. They ensure children spend plenty of time in the nursery garden or local parks. This helps to broaden children's experiences.
• Some aspects of the curriculum for mathematics and early writing are not always sufficiently well sequenced to build on what all children know and can do. At times, staff do not identify the skills children need to develop before they can move on to more complex skills. For example, staff plan activities to support recognition of numbers before children have the necessary counting skills. Some of the resources they provide to support children's writing skills do not support their stage of development. Children sometimes lose interest in activities as a result of this.
• Staff give children and parents clear messages about healthy lifestyles. They talk to parents about oral health and daily exercise. They ensure children have plenty of opportunities for physical development when they are in nursery. Children thoroughly enjoy running, climbing and playing in the mud kitchen. Children understand when they need to wash their hands and ask to wash hands after playing outside.
• Staff support children's independence well. From an early age, children learn to take off their shoes and coat and put them where they belong. Children serve themselves their meals and drinks and help themselves to cutlery.
• Children with SEND are exceptionally well supported. A knowledgeable and well-trained leader supports staff effectively to identify and plan for children's individual needs. They work confidently with a range of professionals, such as physiotherapists, and implement the necessary targets into their practice. Staff communicate children's progress confidently with them to ensure targets are meaningful and challenging. This helps children to make very good progress from their starting points.
• Staff play alongside children and follow their interests. When children show an interest in worms and woodlice, staff develop this effectively. They help children to look under different logs and talk about how to care for the insects. This helps children to concentrate well.
• The manager supports staff effectively to develop their role further. They attend a range of training to extend their skills. The manager monitors teaching and learning and identifies where staff can improve further.
• Staff communicate effectively with parents. They share information with them when they collect or drop off their children. They share information with parents about how they can support their children at home. Parents value the electronic communication from the nursery. This supports children to make good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the curriculum for mathematics and literacy and consider the order in which children develop their skills and take more account of what children already know and can do.