Bourton-On-The-Water Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff build secure attachments with children by fostering positive relationships and gathering valuable information from parents during the settling-in process. They offer tailored sessions to support children when they start. Staff provide consistent praise and encouragement to promote children's emotional well-being and meet their individual needs.

Leaders have designed a curriculum that promotes independence, furthers children's imaginative play and reflects their individual needs and interests. It builds on their existing knowledge and skills, preparing them for the next stage of learning. The curriculum offers a broad range of learning opportunities across all areas with a sharp focus on children's emotional, physical and language development.

Children enjoy fresh air and exercise through daily outdoor play. Staff promote children's physical development well, for example, by encouraging activities like chalk mark making, water play and exploring puddles. Children practise their critical thinking skills as they explore their surroundings and learn to take risks safely. The outdoor space also enhances children's understanding of nature through bug hotels, minibeast discoveries and opportunities to care for living creatures like snails. Staff are aware of each child's stage of development and ensure that they support babies' physical development, for example, by providing opportunities for tummy time.

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

• Staff encourage independent problem-solving with older children as they provide activities where children need to try to release toy animals frozen in ice. They ask insightful questions about the characteristics of different animals and extend and challenge children's learning. For example, children experiment with floating a toy penguin, making connections between water levels and buoyancy. Staff extend their exploration by adding polystyrene to test its floating ability. Staff adapt and encourage exploration and demonstrate good teaching skills.
• Behaviour is generally good. Older children sit quietly and listen during group times, and all children behave well during mealtimes. However, at times, younger children struggle to understand what is expected of them as staff are not consistent when managing their behaviour. Therefore, some children display challenging behaviour, such as running while inside and distracting others during story time. Staff do not explain to them the consequences of their actions.
• Staff actively engage with children's ideas during play, such as in morning yoga, where children choose their own poses and staff listen and respect their choices. However, on occasions, some staff struggle to maintain sustained engagement during interactions. For example, staff walk away to attend to housekeeping tasks instead of interacting with children. Staff do not consistently receive clear feedback from leaders to improve their teaching and interactions with children.
• Staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) work closely with parents and other professionals. They use visual aids to further support children's increasing comprehension and language acquisition and a visual timetable to help children recall the routine. These help children to understand routines and express their needs. As a result, children with SEND receive the personalised support they need to make good progress alongside their friends.
• Parents are pleased with the care and education their children receive. They are warmly invited into the setting to participate in regular events, such as stay-and-play sessions. Parents receive regular information about their child's development, as well as daily feedback about children's care routines. However, parents are not provided with enough information to enable them to extend children's learning at home.
• Children make good progress in communication and language skills, including children learning English as an additional language. Younger children engage enthusiastically in song and rhyme time, actively participating with props and singing with energy. Older children also show a keen interest in singing and listening to stories. Staff select stories and songs that promote engagement, understanding, early language development, and expand children's knowledge of the world.
• Children enjoy healthy, nutritious meals and snacks. They remember to wash their hands before they eat. Staff are good role models and encourage children to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff are gentle when changing nappies and attending to children's personal care.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the coaching and mentoring for staff to further develop their skills and provide more consistency in the quality of education
• provide children with more consistent expectations to help them make positive behaviour choices and support their understanding of why rules are in place
• provide parents with further information about children's learning, so they can build on this at home to ensure consistency between home and setting.