Brooklyn Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children who attend this welcoming nursery receive the very best start to their care and education. When children arrive, they are greeted warmly by staff who say, 'I missed you'. This helps children to feel valued and to have a strong sense of belonging in the nursery. Children in the pre-school room talk with confidence when they explain who their key worker is and that their key worker reads them stories and is kind to them. Young children in the 'tweenie room' show empathy to their friends, for instance when they begin to cough. They give them a reassuring hand on the back, ask if they are 'okay' and get them a drink.

Children in the pre-school room show resilience and are very adventurous in their physical play. Staff stand close by to support children, if necessary, when they climb high on large apparatus. Children are confident in their abilities to take and manage calculated risks. Staff place a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. They are skilled in helping children to learn new words, such as 'spiky', when they explore real pineapples. Children confidently share their thoughts and views with staff and become deeply engaged in activities, showing high levels of concentration.

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

• Staff offer children exceptional experiences that ignite their awe and wonder. For example, when children watch reflections from mirrors bounce off the sunlight and dance around the ceiling, staff describe them as fairies. Children learn that the fairies help them to make good choices. They are excited to listen to staff read letters from the pretend fairies who praise their achievements in the nursery and also at home. This strategy is highly effective to support children with positive behaviour.
• The provider places a high priority on supporting staff with their well-being and practice. Staff work extremely effectively as a team and say that they feel part of a family. They access a cosy shepherd's hut where they can go to relax and reflect. Staff give their colleagues positive comments about their practice, helping them to feel valued and appreciated. This contributes to creating an environment of support and respect.
• Staff make sure that all children have the same opportunities to receive the best start to prepare them for future success. For example, when some babies experience going to the beach, staff offer this to others. Babies use their senses to explore textures of pretend sand, shells and seaweed. Staff's expert knowledge of how to plan these activities ensures that it is safe. For instance, they know that babies learn through their sense of touch and taste so they offer finely crushed biscuits instead of sand.
• All professional development opportunities for staff support them to extend their knowledge of how to maximise learning opportunities for the children in their care. For example, staff attend training courses alongside parents. They learn sign language to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities with their communication needs. Staff in the toddler room extend their knowledge of how young children prefer to learn. They make improvements to the environment. For example, they add more bags to encourage children to follow their interest in transporting objects in their play.
• The provider and all staff understand how to implement the curriculum to help children to make rapid progress in their development. Staff use their knowledge of children's abilities and parents' views to help support children's progress. This partnership working is extremely effective in helping to prepare children for their move on to school.
• Parents say that the nursery is amazing. They talk about the considerable progress their children make and how staff have a wealth of experiences to support children's learning.
• The provider is highly reflective and wants the very best for every child in the nursery. Improvements are made to the foods offered to children to promote a healthy diet. For example, the sugar content is reduced in snacks and meals. This contributes to children being offered healthy and nutritious meals to promote their good health.