Birdhurst Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled. They have good relationships with staff and each other. Babies have strong bonds with staff and enjoy lots of cuddles. Good systems are in place to help new children settle quickly. Children behave well. They cooperatively join in daily routines and understand safety procedures, such as walking carefully while going up and down stairs. They are supported well by staff in learning to take turns, for example they use an egg timer to help children understand when it is their turn next to use the bike.

Older children are confident speakers. They freely express their thoughts and feelings, for example they tell staff about what they are doing and show them things they have made. During group times, staff encourage children to make choices of songs they want to sing. Children then confidently take turns to sing in front of the group. This shows they are developing effective language skills.

Children enjoy being physically active in the vast outside play area. They run around and show good spatial awareness as they ride bikes along the tracks. They skilfully bounce together on the trampoline, developing their balance and coordination. They show confidence while climbing on the frame and enjoy exploring in the sand. Staff also encourage babies to crawl and climb on soft-play shapes during indoor play. As a result, all children develop a good range of physical skills.

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

• Staff plan a good range of activities that promote all areas of learning. They understand what they want children to learn and provide appropriate activities. For example, when playing in the sand staff encourage toddlers to feel the sand and show them how to make handprints and use hand-held tools to scoop and pour the sand. Children copy these actions which successfully develops their physical skills.
• Children are happy and settled. They have good opportunities to follow their own interests during play. Older children develop good friendships. They play imaginatively together in the home corner and take turns when building towers of bricks, then watch and laugh as the bricks fall down.
• Staff gain information from parents about languages that children use at home. However, they do not routinely use vocabulary from children's home languages, or resources, to enhance children's communication skills and help further develop their grasp of English.
• Staff could do more to help children learn about healthy eating habits. Most children enjoy the mealtimes. However, meals are served by staff with little discussion about the foods offered. This limits opportunities for children to learn about different foods or choose the foods and amount they would like to eat.
• Children who have additional needs are supported very well by staff. They work closely with parents and other agencies to ensure children gain targeted support where needed. Staff ensure children understand about each other's differences, creating an atmosphere of respect and kindness. As a result, children who have additional needs benefit from an inclusive learning environment.
• Children actively learn about cultures and beliefs during play. For example, they learn about Chinese New Year while playing in the role-play restaurant, using authentic resources and real food. They use a range of art and craft materials to make decorations and staff read traditional stories. This well-planned sequence of activities helps children consolidate their learning effectively.
• Parents say their children are happy at the nursery and make good progress. Staff tell them about what their children have been doing at collection times, and share lots of information about activities and their children's progress on the app. Parents comment that they would also like more opportunities to go into the nursery, so they can see what their children are doing and get to know all staff better.
• Leaders, managers and staff show a strong commitment to driving improvement. They have successfully implemented several changes since the last inspection to promote children's welfare, and effectively support their learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the mealtime routines to enhance children's understanding of healthy eating habits, so that they learn more about the foods offered, and develop their personal independence skills
• strengthen staff's knowledge of how to support children who speak English as an additional language, so that more targeted support can be offered to enhance children's communication and language skills
• extend opportunities for parents to come into the nursery, so they can see their children's learning environment and enhance partnerships and information sharing with staff.