AppleKids Day Nursery Hall Green

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy at this nursery. Staff greet them with smiles and welcome them in. Children are happy to separate from their parents and carers and are keen to join their friends. Staff form good relationships with children and their families. They get to know what children are interested in and use this information to plan enjoyable activities for them.

Children learn to be respectful of others. Staff remind them to use their manners at mealtimes and help them to take turns with the equipment available to them. Children show an awareness of others and take interest in what their friends are doing. Staff check in with children throughout the day to see how they are feeling. They use visual cues to help children to identify different emotions.

Leaders have high expectations for all children. They have designed a new curriculum that helps to prepare children for their next stage of learning. Leaders are supporting staff to understand and fully implement this new curriculum. Children show confidence as they explore the environment and choose where they want to play. Staff help them to develop their fine motor skills through the manipulation of tools and mark-making activities. Children have chances to develop their large physical skills as they use the vast space available to them outdoors.

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

• Babies are starting to show confidence. Staff form strong bonds with them, helping them to feel safe and secure. When babies become upset, staff provide reassurance and comfort. For those children who are still settling, staff stay close to them. Babies show delight as they sway and sing with staff. They show interest in the puppets staff use to accompany songs. This helps children to develop their communication as soon as they start their nursery journey.
• Staff complete termly assessments of children's development. They use what they know about children to decide what they need to learn next. However, some staff do not have a good enough knowledge of what children's next steps are because of the amount of time that has passed since the last assessment. As a result, the activities on offer are not always planned around helping children to build on their existing skills.
• Staff interact with children during their play. They describe what children are doing and ask them some questions. However, staff do not always focus their teaching on helping children to learn new knowledge. Consequently, children do not always make the best possible progress.
• Staff ensure the progress check at age two is completed. A summary of children's development is recorded and any delays in development are identified at this stage. However, this is not always shared with parents at the earliest opportunity. As a result, there is a delay in the support children receive at home to help them progress further. That said, staff provide regular updates to parents about what children are learning, which lessens the effect this has on children.
• Children are keen to spend time outdoors. They eagerly put their coats on and quickly make their way to the resources available to them. They spend time riding bikes and climbing on wooden frames. However, the limited number of activities on offer means that children's learning is not enhanced as much as it could be.
• Leaders are reflective and passionate about improving outcomes for children. They complete regular observations of staff practice, and they meet with staff to discuss how they can develop their own knowledge and skills. Some of the leadership team are relatively new. However, they have already started to review practice across the nursery and have devised action plans that focus on enhancing experiences for children.
• Parents comment positively about the nursery. They say that staff are friendly and they receive regular communication about what their children have been doing. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities say they are kept up-to-date with any extra support their child is receiving, and they feel listened to by staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide staff with the support and training they need to assess children's development more precisely
• support staff to develop their teaching skills so that children make the best possible progress
• review the arrangements for sharing the progress check at age two so that parents and other professionals can provide support to children at the earliest opportunity
• develop the outdoor area so that children benefit from all opportunities to enhance their learning.