Blue Sky Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff form warm and friendly relationships with all children at the setting. Key persons spend quality focused time with babies and children to build relationships and concentrate on their individual learning goals. Staff treat all children as unique and special.

Children are well behaved. They play cooperatively and are courteous to each other. For instance, older children say please and thank you when taking their turn with a big bicycle. Younger children learn to share resources, such as favourite books. Staff use effective behaviour management strategies. They interact very well with children as they play. Staff encourage children to 'use their words' to ask a friend for a turn. They help children understand what is expected of them. If a minor conflict occurs, staff support children to resolve it calmly and quickly.

Staff give children consistent messages that help them develop a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. For example, children talk about making good choices at snack time. Older children recall visits from the 'Brush Bus' as they learn how to clean their teeth and talk about oral health.

Children attending the nursery enjoy activities with their friends, such as bus trips to local attractions. They say they love the staff and look forward to coming back to spend time at the nursery.

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

• The highly committed manager has a secure overview of the nursery's curriculum intent. This has a strong focus on the social, communication and physical skills children need to learn before they leave the nursery. Through training and good mentoring, this knowledge underpins staff's delivery of interesting and challenging experiences, such as a trip to a sea-life centre.
• Staff ensure that children and babies always have access to a range of resources to make marks and develop early writing skills. They enjoy using a variety of pens, paints and large chalks to draw. They make shapes and lines in sand. Staff support older children to begin to recognise and write familiar letters, such as the first letter of their name, in readiness for school.
• Staff use effective ways to prepare each child emotionally for moves through nursery, and from the nursery into 'big school'. For example, they praise children for using their 'listening ears' and for making up their own rules for a game they created together so that it is fair for everybody.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is dedicated and knowledgeable. She works closely with children's parents, key persons and other professionals to ensure that children get all the support they need. The SENCo's attention is focused well to meet the needs of children in receipt of extra funding. This helps to ensure that children are well prepared for school.
• All staff encourage children's communication skills well. They talk to children as they play to encourage language skills and introduce unfamiliar words, such as 'turquoise' and 'aquamarine'. Staff make sure children enjoy several song, story and music times throughout the day. Staff in the baby room repeat simple vocabulary as they read favourite story books. However, staff do not consistently make best use of a wide range of strategies to help children who struggle with speech.
• Parents praise the strong community feel in the nursery and the individual care their children receive. Parents of children with SEND value the support given with funding, referrals and meetings. Staff encourage them to get involved with children's learning by providing information and ideas to help children achieve their goals for continuity of learning.
• Staff use children's current interests to help keep them engaged and meet individual next steps in learning. However, although children make good progress, staff have not fully considered how to improve children's exploration and use of technology, to help develop their skills and understanding ready for school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend the range of strategies used to enhance children's communication and language skills across all age groups
• help children to develop a deeper understanding of the technological world in which they live.