Blue Willow Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed by a friendly, nurturing staff team. Children develop trusting relationships with staff, who care for them well. Children accept hugs and reassurance when needed. They show that they feel safe and secure in the homely environment.

Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills in the large outside area throughout the day. Children enjoy having their snacks and lunch in groups in the garden. They sit with their friends and the staff, animatedly chatting about their day and what they have done at home. Parents comment on how their children have developed their social skills as they have learned to mix with children of all ages. Staff encourage children to develop their early writing in fun ways. For example, staff set out resources to encourage children to make patterns and shapes in the indoor sandpit and spontaneously paint with various brushes and resources.

Children behave well. They learn to share toys from a young age. Staff are positive role models. They use clear instructions that help children understand what is expected of them.

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

• The leaders are highly motivated to provide a welcoming, nurturing, high-quality learning environment. Leaders work hard to support staff in their roles. They provide regular opportunities for informal conversations and one-to-one meetings to discuss professional development. Staff say that they very much enjoy working at the Nursery, and they put the children at the centre of all they do. This is evident throughout the Nursery. Staff are happy, and children are curious and keen to learn and develop their skills.
• Practitioners frequently enhance children's communication and language skills. They speak to children about what they are doing to promote routine conversational skills. Leaders have also implemented 'family books', which include photos from children's lives away from the setting. Practitioners use these as talking points for children to discuss in groups throughout the day. Children build a broad vocabulary and learn about the ways in which they are different to one another.
• Leaders review the strengths and areas to be developed in the Nursery regularly. They set goals to build ongoing improvement. For instance, recent developments have enabled children to learn about nature as they explore natural resources and learn about nature around them. Staff encourage children to listen to and watch aeroplanes as they fly over and identify the sound a magpie makes.
• Overall, parents speak highly of the Nursery and comment on how happy their children are. Staff are available to speak to parents at the start and end of the day, as well as communicating through an online system. However, staff do not always provide parents with more information about their children's progress and development in all areas of learning to enable them to complement the learning at home.
• The Nursery's leaders and special educational needs coordinator are experienced in their roles and knowledgeable about the children who attend that require additional support. Strategies to identify any potential delays in development are quickly identified, and targeted interventions are put in place.
• There is a very strong partnership with the local school. Leaders place a high priority on providing opportunities for children to experience school life as they become ready to move on. For example, children talk about which school they will be going to and how they are feeling about the change.
• Generally, staff interact with children effectively to support their understanding of numbers and counting. However, at times, staff do not use opportunities effectively to enable children to develop their thinking skills, particularly in their use of questioning during play.
• Older children develop their independence effectively. Pre-school children serve their own meals and clear away afterwards, and toddlers learn to feed themselves from an early age. Children develop a good awareness of healthy lifestyles. For example, they learn to recognise that they might need a drink after physical activity. Overall, staff promote children's good health consistently well, such as regular handwashing and oral health.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen partnerships with parents and share more information about their child's developmental progress and learning
• develop staff's interactive skills to further develop children's knowledge and understanding of numbers and counting during play.