Butterfly Castle Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show a positive attitude towards learning. Toddlers and pre-school children listen attentively to instructions as they take part in group activities. They enthusiastically join in with music and movement sessions. Children sing verses of familiar songs as they dance and move to the music, copying the actions that staff demonstrate. Staff use these opportunities to encourage children to talk about and learn why they need to exercise to be healthy.

Staff encourage children to be independent. Babies are supported to use spoons to feed themselves and to drink from open-top cups. Toddlers are encouraged to wash their own hands before meals and learn how to use a spoon and fork. Pre-school children have learned how to safely serve their own food and pour their own drinks at mealtimes. Children show respect to each other, using manners without being prompted to do so. Parents speak highly of the nursery. They say that their children really enjoy attending and that they are well cared for and have close bonds with the staff. Parents comment that their children have 'come on in leaps and bounds' since starting at the nursery. They have acquired new skills, such as using the toilet, putting on their own shoes and coats and knowing how to count.

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

• Staff have planned a curriculum that focuses on preparing children to develop the skills that they will need for their eventual move to school. Staff assess children's progress accurately and know children well, including what individual children are interested in and how they learn best. Staff recognise that some children learn better outdoors. Therefore, they plan activities to promote each area of learning, both inside and outside. They ensure that all children have access to the same experiences and opportunities.
• Funding, such as early years pupil premium, is used effectively to benefit the children who receive it. Staff use the funding to purchase resources linked to children's individual interests. These resources help to motivate and engage children to take part in activities which encourage areas of their development where there are gaps. For example, recent funding was used to buy turn-taking games that help children to engage with others and form friendships.
• Staff work well together as a team and say that they feel valued by the manager. The manager is very hands-on and works alongside her team, acting as a good role model and mentor for the staff. However, the arrangements in place to support staff development are currently not focused well enough to support staff to fully develop their knowledge, skills and practice. As a result, teaching is varied and the implementation of the curriculum is not always consistent.
• Staff support children's language and communication well. Babies laugh and babble as staff play and interact with them. Staff support toddlers who struggle to pronounce new and difficult words, such as see-saw, by repeating the word back for them to hear and copy. Older children engage in meaningful conversations with staff as they look at factual books together and learn about new and unfamiliar animals, such as warthogs.
• Staff support children effectively to learn about the traditions, cultures and festivals that others within their community celebrate. They encourage children to be aware of, and proud about, what makes them unique and individual. Parents who speak English as an additional language are invited into the nursery to read stories to children in their home language.
• A local dentist regularly visits the nursery. Staff use these visits to support children to learn how to care for their teeth. Staff encourage conversations with children about healthy eating. Children can identify the types of food that are good for them and food that should only be eaten as a treat. Children know that they need to clean their teeth after eating to prevent tooth decay.
• Overall, children play well together and when slight disagreements and squabbles occur, staff are quick to step in to stop the behaviour from escalating. However, staff do not give children clear explanations as to why their behaviour is not acceptable. Children are not developing an understanding of how their behaviour impacts others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure the monitoring of staff practice is used effectively to identify how to develop staff's knowledge, skills and practice so that teaching is consistently at a good level
• ensure that staff manage children's behaviour in a way that supports children to learn the impact that their behaviour has on others.