Apple Blossom Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are lively, curious and confident at this friendly and welcoming nursery. Staff build lovely relationships with children. They are caring and kind. Staff ask children each morning how they are feeling. They encourage children to join in a song that describes how they are special and unique. This helps to build children's confidence and self-esteem. Staff remind children of the 'golden rules' that are followed throughout the nursery. These include using manners, not running indoors and being kind to their friends. Staff encourage children to vote for their choice of snack and provide the food that has the most votes. This helps children to learn about fairness and to respect for the views of others.

Staff understand well where children are in their development and what support they need for their future learning. Their ambitions for children as they move through the nursery are clear. Interactions between children and staff are friendly and warm, such as when children explore with jigsaws and fill toy vehicles with oats. Children are happy and focused as they smash ice with toy mallets and roll toy tractors through soil in the pretend farm. Children grow in their independence. Staff encourage them to serve themselves at lunchtime, pour their drinks and learn to use cutlery safely. Children learn how to use buttons and zips and go to the toilet independently. Managers have put a number of policies and practices into place since the last inspection to improve hygiene routines and support children to manage their own personal needs.

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

• Staff support children's learning well. They provide clear instructions and model new skills. Staff use scrapbooks to remind children of their learning experiences and achievements. They update and share information about children's progress as children move from room to room or on to school.
• Overall, there is strong support for children's developing language. Staff introduce new words through stories and songs. However, at times, staff do not organise group times to provide all children with opportunities to take their turn in discussions and to express their own ideas.
• Staff repeat back the words that children say to show them they are understood. However, staff do not consistently organise daily routines or use the space to develop children's listening skills further. For example, at times, noise levels reduce the ability of children to hear conversations or instructions.
• Staff plan good support for children's physical development. Children stretch as they play parachute games, roll toy cars and paint on large rolls of paper. Staff encourage children to move and dance to help them get ready to learn. They use yoga techniques to soothe and calm children and help them to relax.
• Staff plan opportunities for children to develop their coordination. For example, children use a range of tools, including hammers and tweezers. They cut dough with scissors and explore with magnifying glasses.
• The nursery works well with other professionals in health and education to support children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff follow strategies using objects, pictures and sign language to help children, who may need additional support, to communicate.
• Staff help children to learn about life outside the nursery, such as through trips and outings to the library, church and parks. The nursery welcomes visits from local police officers and farmers to help children to learn about their roles in the community.
• The nursery works closely with parents and carers. Staff set challenges for them to try at home, such as small science experiments or choosing favourite books for children to bring in. Managers invite parents to use the nursery's learning library and to attend special events, such as a Mother's Day lunch.
• Staff make parent packs to help provide them with advice on topics such as healthy eating or supporting children when moving home. Parents describe the nursery and its staff as happy, positive, inclusive and friendly.
• Staff support each other and work very well together as a team. Managers provide good support to staff through meetings, training and observations of their practice. Parents are asked to vote for a 'staff member of the month'. This helps to support staff's well-being.
• Managers gather the views of parents, and staff reflect well on experiences for children in order to drive continuous improvement. They consult with parents and staff on how best to use additional funding the nursery receives.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how better to deploy staff during group times, in order to provide more individual support for children's learning
• review daily routines and the use of space in order to reduce noise levels and support children's listening skills.