Ashfield Plaza Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create an environment which supports children's interest in the world around them. Toddlers use real food items that staff have placed throughout the home corner. They spread butter on bread, make drinks in teacups, and mix ice cream with herbs. Pre-school children draw colourful maps of where they live. Staff extend this, suggesting children re-create their maps to push their toy cars on. Children gather resources, sharing out scissors, masking tape and pens. Staff encourage children to decide if the road needs to go left or right, and to determine how long the road should be. Staff use vocabulary, such as diagonal and triangle, as they point out the shapes the new road is making on the floor. This helps children develop early mathematical skills. Children busy themselves placing toy houses next to their road to make a town. They have a positive attitude to learning.

Staff are positive role models and have high expectations of children's behaviour. When children receive praise from staff for being kind and helpful, they excitedly move their pictures up a level on the 'behaviour space rocket'. Children proudly show staff and their friends they have reached the top of the rocket. This provides a visual reminder and promotes positive behaviour.

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

• Leaders are reflective and strive to improve the activities and experiences on offer for the children in their care. For example, they are currently developing a sensory room to provide a quiet, calming area for all children to access. Leaders ensure staff undertake professional development opportunities to enhance their knowledge and practice further. Staff say they enjoy working at the setting and that leaders are supportive.
• Staff provide activities to help children develop their independence. Babies are offered different fruits, enabling them to make simple choices for snack time. Toddlers are encouraged to self-register when they arrive at nursery, they use serving spoons to serve themselves lunch and staff help them to pour drinks. Pre-school children access the toilet themselves, wash their hands and help staff to tidy away resources. This helps children to do as much as possible for themselves.
• Children have opportunities to develop their muscle strength and coordination skills. For example, younger babies confidently crawl, pulling themselves up to standing using play equipment, as staff safely supervise them. Toddlers push dolls in pushchairs up the grassy bank, and they bend and stretch as they search for leaves and sticks to put in their bags. Pre-school children push themselves along on scooters, safely navigating the large outdoor play equipment.
• Staff plan a variety of opportunities for children to develop their small-muscle skills. These activities help children practise the skills needed for early writing. For example, older babies enjoy water play where they squeeze fruit teabags into the water and scoop up the mixture in teacups. Younger babies use their fingers to search in trays of hay and wood shavings for toy farm animals that staff have hidden. Pre-school children use construction bricks to make houses with stairs. Others work with staff to connect bricks together to make alternating colour patterns.
• Staff understand the importance of promoting children's good health and ensure all children have access to daily fresh air and exercise. They provide healthy snacks, balanced meals and fresh drinking water. In addition, staff remind children to wear sun hats when outside to keep safe in the hot weather.
• Parents describe staff as supportive, empathetic and caring. They say staff have supported their children to develop good table manners, language skills and they have helped their child progress with potty training. Parents say they appreciate the range of varied opportunities that staff provide for their children.
• Staff create a well-considered learning environment within the nursery. Children benefit from a balance of adult-led activities and child-initiated play indoors. However, staff do not always plan and provide the same level of rich learning experiences outdoors. This means, at times, some children do not fully engage in outdoor play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on how staff plan the outdoor provision to ensure that it consistently meets the individual needs of all children.