Blackberry House Day Nursery (March)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive confidently, eager to greet their friends and staff. They separate from parents and carers with ease and thoroughly enjoy their time at this home-from-home nursery. Children show that they feel relaxed, safe and secure. They openly share their ideas and thoughts with staff, who build meaningful conversations with them. Children demonstrate that they have strong bonds with staff. They listen to instructions and eagerly help to keep the environment tidy.

Children prefer to play outside. They have plenty of space to move about freely and gain increasing control of their bodies and movements. Children learn about the different habitats and features of other living creatures. For example, they learn that some insects appear slimy and that this helps them to move. Children compare this to how humans walk and that penguins waddle. They are articulate when they describe the creatures and show how they use what they already know to make sense of new information.

Children thrive in this welcoming nursery. They show increasing levels of concentration. They greatly benefit from how skilled staff adapt their teaching to provide each child with meaningful learning experiences. Younger children show high levels of concentration and engagement with books and stories staff read to them. They accurately retell stories and create pictures that demonstrate that learning is embedded. For example, children explain that there is not a monster in the story, rather it is the frog's shadow.

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

• Leaders are highly reflective and committed to providing all children with the high-quality care and education that they deserve. They strive for excellence in all they do. They use their professional knowledge and experience to evaluate and develop a curriculum that provides children with the key skills, attitudes and hands-on experiences to support their future education in an ever-changing world.
• Qualified staff know children incredibly well. They take time to understand children's lived experiences and what they know and can do. Staff successfully tailor their approach to meet each child's individual needs. Children settle quickly and flourish in the nurturing environment that staff effortlessly provide. They have time to practise new skills and receive lots of praise and encouragement to keep trying. For example, when younger children wobble as they walk across a slightly raised plank, they support each other by holding each other's hands. They mirror the support they have seen modelled by staff.
• Leaders and staff prioritise children's communication and language development. They reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and identify ongoing delays for some children in speech development. Staff use knowledge gained from training and working with other professionals. They routinely provide children with targeted short sessions that successfully help children to say and understand more. Parents state that they notice the progress their children make, commenting on the new words they use, the songs they sing and their growing confidence.
• Staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well trained and work closely with parents and other professionals. They establish precise targets that help children progress in their learning and development. Plans and strategies to support children are shared with all staff. This provides children with consistency and significantly contributes to the progress they make.
• Parents are extremely positive about the nursery and staff. They state that they are very well informed about their child's learning and development and how to support ongoing learning at home. Parents say they highly recommend the nursery and they appreciate the difference staff make to their children's lives.
• Leaders greatly value the staff team. They meet regularly with staff to help them develop their knowledge and skills and to ensure their workload is manageable. Staff's well-being is important to leaders, who recognise staff's commitment to the children and nursery. They create a culture of mutual support and respect, recognising staff's achievements in many ways, including awards nights. Staff state that they feel well supported in their roles. They work well together as a highly effective team.
• Staff promote books and stories throughout the nursery. For example, building on children's interest, they share books about different forms of transport. Children create trains that imaginatively take them to the beach or to the shops. Staff encourage children to share books at home with parents and carers.