Butterflies Day Nursery @ Woodlands

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and eager to discover the extensive range of activities planned for the day. Staff are deployed effectively and provide an exciting environment in which children can make independent choices and become active learners. They have introduced larger climbing equipment and a varied terrain outdoors to challenge children's physical development. This has had a positive impact, enabling children to first negotiate climbing mounds before later managing bikes and scooters on them. Children become very agile and manage risks effectively, such as climbing to a height they feel confident with. Children are very inquisitive, and staff enable them to become engrossed in the activities and explore their own ideas. For example, babies and toddlers explore cornflour and water, while other children's enthusiasm becomes focused on transporting water. Older children discover the properties of ice and that it melts more quickly if broken into smaller pieces.

Parents no longer enter the premises as frequently as they did before the COVID- 19 pandemic. Staff have found that they can remain more focused on the children and that the children settle more quickly. Parents confirm that they have daily opportunities to speak to staff and share important information through technology.

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

• The manager has an ambitious curriculum and a strong understanding of how children learn. She monitors the planning to ensure staff know what the children can do and that they accurately identify what children need to be learning next. The manager intends for staff to place a strong emphasis on embedding children's prime areas of learning, to provide a firm foundation for their future learning. This is implemented well.
• New staff are supervised and supported effectively. Managers ensure all staff have good opportunities to have training and extend their personal development. However, there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, and sometimes staff do not use all opportunities to extend and challenge children as much as they could.
• Managers evaluate their practice well, seeking the views of staff, parents and children. They have employed staff to lead a new project on forest school activities and have recently been focusing on supporting children's language and communications skills. Staff speak clearly to children, are good role models and introduce new vocabulary. The older children engage in good discussions. They learn to listen to each other, and ask and answer questions, preparing them successfully for school.
• Staff provide an inclusive environment. They support children well in recognising their uniqueness and having a very positive attitude to people's differences. Children celebrate each other's backgrounds, and older children are very kind and supportive to those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Older children have good opportunities to vote and understand that they go with the majority. Managers monitor and adapt their practice to ensure all can access the provision equally.
• Children behave well. All children have positive, warm relationships with their key person and often go to them for cuddles. When minor arguments occur, staff quickly intervene. However, sometimes they do not help young children to acknowledge others' feelings. Occasionally, staff resolve problems too quickly without helping older children to consider ways for themselves.
• Staff provide good support to enable children to become as independent as possible. They encourage children to keep trying and manage as much as they can for themselves, building their resilience successfully. For example, babies learn to feed themselves. Toddlers manage their clothes and use a potty. Older children operate a tap, pump soap and use a hand dryer to wash and dry their hands. They help themselves to drinking water and know where to find the resources they need to complete a task.
• Managers and staff recognise that parents know their children best. They have essential effective partnerships with parents, to meet children's individual needs successfully. Parents comment on the good progress their children are making at nursery. At home, their children sing songs, use numbers, love books and comment on which herbs to use in cooking, which they have learned at nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus staff development on the consistent quality of teaching, to challenge children and help them to make the best progress they can
• help older children to resolve any conflict for themselves and acknowledge others' feelings.