Blue Bell Woods Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily enter the nursery with their key persons, who warmly greet them on arrival. This shows children feel safe and secure. Staff provide a range of activities to stimulate children's curiosity and promote development. Babies enjoy sensory play experiences. They delight in playing with play foam and bubbly water as staff sing songs about bubbles popping. Staff encourage toddlers' free expression as they explore paint. Toddlers create their own unique pictures by using handprints, brushes and toy dinosaurs to make footprints. Pre-school children experiment with ice and colour mixing, excitedly announcing the new shades they make.

Children behave well and are motivated to learn. The rules of the nursery encourage them to listen, share, take turns and be kind. Children learn from and support each other. Babies delight in watching their siblings and older children play. They smile and join in with songs and actions. All children, even the very youngest babies, stop when they hear the tidy up bell ring. They smile and wave their arms and join in with the tidy up song before helping to put their toys away.

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

• Staff know children well. They work closely with parents to identify children's starting points and monitor children's progress. This ensures that any gaps in children's learning are identified early and their next developmental steps are planned for. The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENCo) works with staff, parents and other specialists to ensure that all children receive the support they need.
• Parents describe the nursery as brilliant and homely. They talk about managers and staff being supportive, professional and protective. Leaders actively seek parents' views of the provision. They listen to parents' opinions and adapt the provision accordingly.
• Communication and language are key focus areas. There is constant chatter within the nursery as children talk to staff and their friends. Babies enjoy sharing cuddles and books with their key persons. Toddlers listen to animated stories under the shade of a tree in the garden. Pre-school children use props to participate in story time sessions, focusing on the language of emotions. However, staff do not always recognise that the organisation of the routine and noise within the environment prevents children from being able to fully listen and concentrate during adult-led group sessions. This does not help to maximise children's learning.
• Staff promote children's physical development. Babies explore low-level climbing equipment. They crawl and toddle up and down steps, helping develop their balance and core strength. Toddlers and pre-school children explore the well- equipped outdoor environment. They climb on climbing frames and ride balance bicycles with confidence. A climbing wall provides further challenge. Staff promote children's fine motor development through routine tasks and activities.
• Staff encourage children to become increasingly independent. Babies feed themselves while toddlers and pre-school children select their own snacks and serve themselves during snack time. Older children clear away their own plates when finished, helping build further on their independence skills in preparation for moving on to school.
• Staff understand the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's personal, social and emotional development. They provide children with individualised settling-in visits and nurturing key-person relationships. Staff carefully plan and support transitions between age groups, other settings and school. Staff from other settings visit and meet children before they move on. This helps children to feel emotionally secure.
• Leadership and management support staff exceptionally well. Staff have regular supervision sessions with leaders. This ensures that management are kept fully informed about children in the nursery. It also provides an opportunity for staff to discuss any work or personal concerns. Leaders support staff's professional development. They encourage staff's strengths and help them take ownership of areas of the curriculum.
• Leaders and managers are reflective. They have plans to further develop children's outdoor learning. This includes growing even more vegetables to provide food for the local food bank. This helps to teach children about the natural environment and to care about the those in the local community.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of adult-led group activities to enable all children to fully participate, concentrate and maximise their learning.