Aster Daisy Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Friendly staff welcome children warmly on arrival and provide a nurturing, caring approach that helps children quickly separate from their parents. This supports children to feel safe, happy, and settled. Staff engage well with the children and put them at the centre of everything they do. Overall, children demonstrate good behaviour, self-care, and social skills. Children are confident, independent, and motivated to learn. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals where children have special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, all children are given good opportunities to achieve well.

The dedicated and passionate manager and her staff team have created an interesting and inviting learning environment. They plan a broad curriculum with high expectations for children's learning, that builds successfully on from what children know and can do. Babies delight as they explore many sensory experiences, such as the textures of leaves, branches, logs and small animal figures. Staff support babies' emerging language as they skilfully model language and describing words, such as 'crumbly'. Staff encourage toddlers to explore different textures and to be inquisitive as they explore water, mud, paint, and sand. Pre-school children become deeply engaged in making potions. They delight in measuring water from a large bucket and add different ingredients from the garden into their bowls and observe the changes that occur. Staff model thinking skills and encourage children to make predictions as they play.

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

• There have been some positive changes to management and the staff team. Leaders are ambitious and have a clear vision for providing high-quality inclusive care and education. This helps to provide consistency for children and their families and support all children to become well prepared for the next stage in their learning.
• Children are cared for in secure, clean surroundings and imaginative inspiring spaces. Staff consistently praise children to recognise their achievements and efforts, such as when they manage to put on their own outdoor shoes or show good listening skills. Children follow the clear boundaries and are supported to understand emotions and levels of self-control when they encounter challenges.
• Staff know the children well. They understand their individual interests and plan exciting activities around these, which support children in becoming deeply engaged in their learning. Staff are positive role models. They encourage children to develop friendships and good social skills. There is a strong focus across the nursery on supporting children's communication and language development. Staff create a language-rich environment with many opportunities for children to sing songs, listen to stories and engage in conversations with staff and one another.
• Staff encourage children to develop an awareness of how to keep themselves safe. For instance, children are supported to consider why it is a good idea to use indoor walking feet. Children enjoy freshly prepared snacks and meals. Staff obtain detailed information about children's dietary requirements and keep this information up to date. This helps to ensure children's dietary needs are met well. Overall, most routines run smoothly during the day. However, at times the organisation of staff during the lunch routines does not lend itself to creating an orderly environment.
• Children develop good physical skills. They benefit from fresh air and a wealth of outdoor experiences all year round, to enhance learning, exploration, and curiosity. Older children confidently pedal around the outdoor area on trikes. Younger children develop confidence as they negotiate climbing frames, obstacles and balance along equipment. This provides children with opportunities to explore the natural world, build on their communication and encourages risk taking within a safe environment.
• The manager who is also the special educational needs coordinator is experienced and knowledgeable in her role. She works closely with each child's key person and family to ensure children receive appropriate targeted support to meet their developmental needs.
• Leaders are strong and supportive of all staff. They continuously evaluate the setting. Staff are supported through regular supervision meetings and access to training, so that they are able to improve their knowledge and skills. However, the ongoing coaching and mentoring of staff does not focus enough on providing clear feedback, so that staff can use this to further enhance the quality of teaching to even higher levels.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery, They say that staff are approachable, children enjoy attending and have formed strong bonds with the staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation and staff deployment during key routine times of the day, such as lunchtime, to ensure there is a fully consistent approach to promoting children's good health
• strengthen methods of coaching and mentoring to further enhance and build on the quality of staff practice to even higher levels.