Banana Moon Day Nursery Longford

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this setting. They build close relationships with staff who know them well and are kind and nurturing towards them. This helps children to feel safe and secure in their care. Staff prepare interesting activities for children to enjoy while developing and practising these emerging skills. For example, babies use spoons to scoop oats that they pretend to feed to the toy animals they have. This helps them to strengthen the skills they need to feed themselves at mealtimes. Staff provide the oldest children with opportunities to use their imaginations and critical thinking skills. Children work cooperatively to build an obstacle course and decide their route, taking turns to move from one area to another.

Children behave well in the nursery. They listen to the staff's clear guidance to use 'kind hands'. Staff use what they know about all children's needs and adapt the support they give to help children understand the behaviours that are expected of them. Staff help children to understand their emotions and the emotions of others. This supports them in making and sustaining friendships with their peers. Children gain the skills and understanding they need to prepare them for the next stages in their learning.

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

• Key staff gather useful information from parents when children first start. This helps staff to find out about children's prior learning and decide what children are ready to learn next. Staff consider children's interests to help them engage in play that builds on what they already know and can do so that they continue to make progress.
• Staff carefully consider the arrangements of the play environments to ensure they are inviting and enable children to access the available play areas and resources. They use observations to inform the adaptations they make. For instance, furniture is arranged to meet babies' needs as they begin to be ready to walk. The role-play area is situated in a larger space to enable children to add their selected toys from other areas to further their games.
• Children who need additional support or have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the help they need. Staff liaise effectively with colleagues, parents and other professionals to gain the right support. As a result, these children make positive progress from their starting points. For example, children who are nonverbal or are not yet speaking use other appropriate methods to support their communication and understanding.
• Communication and language are promoted generally well. Staff use regular storytelling, songs, rhymes and conversation with children. Staff have begun to use additional programmes where potential delays in children's communication were identified. However, they have not yet considered the benefits of these programmes for use with all children to help sharpen the focus on the development of communication and language to the highest possible levels.
• Staff help children develop increasing independence over time. For example, the youngest children learn to feed themselves with increasing coordination while older children perfect their skills to use appropriate cutlery to eat and help to clear away the plates. They become competent in managing their personal care, such as wiping their noses, knowing when to wash their hands and managing their toileting needs. This helps children to be more prepared for their move on to school.
• Children enjoy their time playing outdoors. They use their imaginations well while they play together. For example, older children gather various natural items to mix with water. They say they are making 'spinach soup' and recall the ingredients they added when making this with family members at home.
• Staff receive the training they need to keep their knowledge and understanding current. They have regular opportunities to discuss their development with managers. However, there is scope to provide further opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice and identify their strengths and areas for development.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery and especially comment on the progress their children make. They say that all staff are friendly and caring. Parents say they value the regularly updated information they receive online and the discussions at collection times about their child's care and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend the use of additional tools to help sharpen the focus children need to develop their communication and language skills more rapidly
• build on the existing support arrangements with staff and provide opportunities for them to reflect on their practice and take ownership of their development to increase their personal effectiveness.