Blackdown Children's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are motivated to learn. Staff create a curriculum that sparks children's interest. Staff seek children's views and engage children in making decisions about their learning and play, listening to their ideas. For example, when invited to join a creative activity, children politely decline in favour of continuing their collaborative construction play. Children enthusiastically share their ideas as they build animals. They respond well to questions posed by staff, who help them develop their thinking and extend their designs. Children talk about how the giraffe is as tall as a 'T. rex' and how their lizard is 'short', developing their mathematical language well.

Young children show great curiosity as staff demonstrate how to make the wheels spin on a tractor. Children watch and point, gasping in wonder. When they are confident, they have a go for themselves. They test their ideas, for example exploring which surface is best to roll the tractor on, and persevere in their attempts.

Managers and staff recognise the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children, particularly on their emotional well-being. Children build strong bonds with caring staff who know them well. Staff have supported children well as they returned to the nursery, providing small-group activities and consistent routines to ensure children feel safe.

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

• Staff plan an ambitious and broad curriculum which reflects children's interests. Staff have good knowledge of what children need to learn next and use this information successfully to progress children's learning. For example, staff in the baby room build on children's enjoyment of a posting game and provide musical instruments to develop children's arm and hand muscles further in readiness for early writing.
• Staff monitor children's progress well. They quickly identify any gaps in children's learning and provide effective support to help children catch up. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with key persons and parents to develop appropriate individual targets, such as behavioural plans.
• Most children are keen to engage in focused activities, such as designing 'rainbow fish'. Staff support younger children well to develop their communication and language skills. They encourage children to identify colours and to describe the feeling of the materials. However, staff do not always plan these activities as well as they could. They do not consistently help children recall previous learning, to consolidate what they already know and to challenge them further to develop a greater knowledge.
• Children behave well and staff manage their behaviour consistently, overall.
• Staff gently remind children of the 'golden rules' and help them to identify how they feel. During a story, children recognise that the fish is sad because his friends will not share. Children enjoy listening to familiar stories and are keen to learn more. Older children ask questions for better understanding, such as what a scale is. On occasion, staff do not ensure that children are fully engaged during their small-group times and do not limit disruptions so that children remain focused on their learning.
• Nurturing staff meet the youngest children's care needs successfully. They initially gather a wealth of information from parents about children's daily routines, preferences and milestones. There are effective systems to ensure this information is regularly reviewed and shared with the next key person as children move on to the next room. Children are reassured when unfamiliar adults are in the room. They receive reassuring hugs. This further supports children to develop emotional security.
• The manager has extended her knowledge of individual children in the nursery and has a good overview of their development and learning needs. The manager supports staff well to develop their skills with regular observations of practice and monthly meetings. She monitors the quality of teaching well and provides effective support to raise it to a higher standard.
• Effective partnerships with parents enable staff to meet children's needs successfully. Parents talk positively about the support given to prepare children for their move to school and the strong relationships children form with familiar adults. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's progress and their daily routines to ensure there is consistency in children's care and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use all opportunities that arise to help children to recall what they have learned, to build on what they know and remember
• review the organisation of group activities to enable older children to remain focused and engaged in their learning.