Ashridge Day Nursery Aston Clinton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop positive relationships with their key person, who know them well. Young babies enjoy spending time with familiar adults. They enjoy cuddles to help them settle and eagerly gather around a box of toys, where they sit, concentrate and explore.

Children's physical development is supported, both indoors and outdoors. Older children balance on crates and wood, while younger children jump up and down during actions songs like 'sleeping bunnies'. Children have fun making dough, they take it in turns to add the ingredients, and use their hands to squeeze the mixture together. Children begin to mark make, they use foam to make patterns with their fingers and draw pictures using pens.

Older children are learning about the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. For example, when learning about the letter 'P', staff support children in making pirate hats and a pig farm. Younger children enjoy exploring sand, they bang the drum to familiar songs and wash the dolls with bubbles.

Children learn about different cultures and festivals throughout the year. For example, they paint shamrocks with green paint for St Patrick's day and raise money for those less fortunate than themselves. Children are encouraged to talk about their families with their friends, through the photographs displayed.

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

• The newly appointed manager has implemented a successful action plan, with support from the local authority. Leaders and managers provide good levels of support for all staff, including apprentices. Detailed induction includes core training which helps staff understand their role. Regular mentoring and monitoring of staff's practice, along with supervision meetings, enable leaders and managers to identify training needs. Leaders and managers understand the importance of staff's well-being. Arrangements with an external organisation, enable all staff to talk about their well-being.
• Staff devise a curriculum based on what their children need to learn. Leaders and managers recognise that the planning for outdoor learning does not fully support children of all ages across the curriculum, and this is something they are working on. Staff encourage children's independence skills. For example, to use their cutlery at mealtimes. Staff identify individual challenges for their key children, this targets their specific developmental needs.
• All children, including those who are funded, are well supported in their communication and language. Staff focus on this aspect of their development, which has been impacted by COVID-19. Staff regularly sing songs and read stories, which helps children to increase their vocabulary and use their words. For example, while making dough, children tell staff it is 'sticky' and it smells like 'chocolate', and they learn new words such as 'knead' and 'cinnamon'. Children who are less able to express themselves, use a book of photographs to indicate what they need or want.
• All children are eager to learn. They concentrate for long periods of time. For example, younger babies sit and explore paint making bubble prints. Staff support children in learning about their emotions. They use mirrors for children to see their face and express how they feel. Older children work with their friends to tidy their room, before they go out in the garden. Where children struggle with their behaviour, staff put in place plans to help them to regulate their actions.
• Children with special education needs/and or disabilities are supported well. Staff devise plans to focus on areas of development which need further support. This helps children to achieve and make progress in their development. The setting develops effective partnerships with other professionals who work with children. For example, speech and language therapists provide advice and support to staff to assist children with developing their language skills.
• Parents say they receive detailed feedback about their child's well-being, care routines and learning. Any work children do is sent home, to enable them to talk about this with their parents. Staff prepare children in getting ready for the move to school. For example, teachers come to visit children in the nursery, and staff make books with pictures of the child's school, to help them settle.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the organisation of the garden area to ensure that children of all ages are fully supported across the curriculum in their outdoor learning.