Blossoms Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and content. Most are motivated and eager to learn. Children form very close bonds with staff, including their key person. They make friends with other children. Staff actively encourage children to develop their independence and sense of responsibility for keeping themselves safe. For example, 'Smartie' the penguin watches over children using the computer. Staff have taught children that there are dangers online. Children know that 'Smartie' watches over them to help keep them safe. Children engage well in a vast range of learning opportunities in the outdoor area. They enthusiastically mix mud and water together, talking imaginatively about what they are making. Children learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, they grow a range of vegetables and help to harvest them. To further support their health, children enjoy regular yoga and mindfulness sessions in the outdoor area.

Staff have high expectations for all children. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities get the additional help they need. As a result, they thrive. Parents say they feel exceptionally well supported by the staff. Due to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, parents are not able to go into the nursery currently. However, staff make time to ensure parents are kept up to date, using a wide range of communication tools.

Staff focus on helping children to develop their imaginations. For example, there is an 'imagination station' in each room, which staff use to help children make up their own stories. Visitors to the setting enhance opportunities further. For example, children met and learned about a range of animals on a recent visit from a travelling animal farm. The youngest children point to a display on the wall showing the photographs of them meeting the animals. They make the associated animal noises with excitement. This supports their developing early language.

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

• Leaders are highly ambitious and dedicated to making this nursery the best it can be. They monitor children's progress. In the main, they effectively target training to address any areas of development in staff's practice. For example, staff attended speech and language training. As a result, children learn a wide range of vocabulary. In recent hot weather, the older children learnt the word 'hydrate'. They now use this word and understand that being hydrated is an important part of keeping themselves safe.
• Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress, particularly in their communication and language skills. For example, staff sing nursery rhymes as children play. This helps children to learn language. Managers understand how to use additional funding to ensure that children make the best possible progress. For instance, a highly skilled member of staff provides one-to-one support. She helps children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to listen when the teacher tells a story. As a result, these children learn to listen well and gain new vocabulary.
• Parents speak very highly of the nursery and are extremely happy with the care provided for their children. Staff work with parents effectively and keep them well informed of their child's progress through regular communication. Leaders recently introduced 'the curiosity cube', which families take home. They explore the contents with their children and record the learning in a diary. This has been effective in building good learning links between home and nursery. Parents report that during the pandemic, leaders assessed all risks and implemented very effective procedures to help keep children safe. Parents value the focus that leaders place on mindfulness and emotional well-being. They say that staff promote a culture of care.
• Children frequently play in the stimulating outdoor area with enthusiasm. They show high levels of independence in their play. Children mix water and mud and share imaginative ideas with one another about what they are creating. At times, not all staff plan activities for children that ignite their curiosity and extend learning. For instance, staff overlook the opportunity to extend children's understanding of mathematics during play with mud and water.
• Babies have their care needs met well. They begin to develop their social skills from a young age, sitting together to enjoy healthy snacks. Staff invest time ensuring that babies develop strong bonds with them. This means babies feel secure and settle quickly. Staff provide opportunities for the youngest babies to explore their senses. They use their hands to explore paint and are curious as they make prints on paper. At times, there is a lack of interesting learning to motivate the oldest babies. This means some babies are less engaged.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to make a clear link between the intent and delivery of planned activities to enable them to shape those activities to the learning needs of children
• review the range of learning opportunities offered to the older babies, to extend their learning and ensure they are fully engaged.