Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Princes Risborough

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy a warm welcome from staff when they arrive. They separate from their parents with ease, showing they feel safe and settled at nursery. They are quick to engage in a range of interesting and exciting activities. Staff plan and resource activities that reflect children's interests and skills. This helps them to secure their current skills and build on their next steps in learning.

Children show strong bonds with the staff that care for them and for each other. They show kindness and care to their friends and offer help and encouragement during their play. Staff teach children good manners through their positive and meaningful interactions, modelling the behaviour they expect from them. Children behave well.

Since the last inspection, staff and leaders have reviewed the curriculum. They plan ambitious and well-sequenced activities that support children to make good progress. They use observation and assessment to ensure they create learning that meets individual learning needs as well as the interests of the children. For example, staff model and guide children to develop their physical skills when learning to ride a scooter. They receive the praise and encouragement they need to build their emotional resilience, and they show pride in their achievements.

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

• Leaders have successfully met the actions and recommendations raised at the last inspection. They have developed a curriculum that is sequenced and understood by all staff. Teaching is consistently good. It benefits children's learning and development and supports them to engage and focus on purposeful play.
• Leaders have updated their arrangements for staff supervision to support their continuous professional development. This supports staff to know and understand the aims and vision for what they want children to learn. This helps staff adapt their teaching to meet the individual needs of children.
• Staff are highly effective in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They are attentive to their physical needs and provide the support, encouragement and praise that helps children to participate in a range of activities. They work closely with parents and agencies to plan targeted support that helps children make the progress they are capable of.
• Staff are kind and attentive to children's needs. They set clear expectations that support them to show positive attitudes towards their behaviour and learning. Children engage and focus on their chosen play, and staff provide conversation and discussion that supports their communication and language skills. For example, staff talk with children, asking them about their play and offering new vocabulary to build on and extend their language. However, at times, these conversations take learning in another direction, preventing children from following their own ideas.
• Children develop good mathematical skills as they explore colour matching through a range of activities. They become engrossed in the activity and enjoy praise given by staff for their achievements. Children enjoy counting items with staff helping them predict what number comes next.
• Staff teach the children about the world around them. Children learn about seeds and planting as staff teach them about the things seeds need to grow. They enjoy this and are quick to share their knowledge and skills in caring for plants and helping them grow. For example, staff talk to children about planting sunflower seeds, and children share their understanding of how the seed should be placed in soil, watered and be in sunlight.
• Children develop skills in managing their personal needs. They help serve themselves during snack and mealtimes and enjoy this sociable time where they sit together with staff. This enables staff to model good eating habits and engage children in mealtime discussions that further support their learning. For example, children talk about the foods they like and the foods they are eating.
• Staff share regular feedback with parents that supports them in knowing and understanding what their children are learning and how they can support this at home. Staff share the progress children are making and ask for feedback about learning at home to inform their planning for next steps.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance opportunities for children to develop their independent learning skills further.