Butterfly Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this nursery. Staff build positive relationships with children and sit close to babies as they play, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Children are supported to play cooperatively and join in activities together. Staff know children well and understand their individual needs. For example, some children are given extra time with staff to help them to regulate their emotions when they become upset.

Children have opportunities to explore materials and develop their fine motor skills. Staff enable children to mix play dough ingredients and explore how the mixture changes as they add water and flour. Staff encourage children to follow their own ideas as they ask to add colour. Children show enthusiasm as they mix coloured paint into the play dough.

Children benefit from a range of outdoor opportunities, which include going on outings into the local community. Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe when crossing the road, and introduce them to places in their local area, such as the library. Leaders are committed to ensuring that all children feel included. They provide a special bear and book that children can take home and share with parents to record their weekend activities. They offer books in a range of languages for children who speak English as an additional language, and provide support for them to be able to fully access the opportunities provided.

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

• Leaders and staff have worked hard to introduce a number of changes since the last inspection. These include changes to the planning of activities and partnerships with parents, which have been strengthened to improve experiences for children. Leaders have accurately evaluated the strengths and weaknesses in practice and have sound oversight to ensure that the improvements in the nursery continue.
• The curriculum is clear and ambitious for all children. It is well understood by staff. Emphasis is placed on children gaining the skills they need to be prepared for their eventual move to school. Children learn to be confident and independent individuals, who can competently express their feelings.
• Changes to the planning system are starting to take effect. Staff recognise the skills that children need to develop further, and plan activities for them to practise these. For example, staff plan an activity that encourages children to fill containers of water to help them to recognise when they are full. This then helps children to understand when the cups they use at mealtimes are also full. However, planning is not yet consistently implemented across the nursery. Some staff do not plan activities that keep all children fully engaged in purposeful learning.
• Although many improvements have been made since the last inspection, leaders recognise that not all teaching is strong. For example, some staff do not maximise opportunities to consolidate children's learning. They sometimes move children on to something else when they are immersed in an activity. This does not help children to fully benefit from their learning experiences.
• Children behave well. They are reminded to use their manners during mealtimes. Staff reinforce the expectations that they have about appropriate behaviour, and support children to resolve challenges they encounter. For example, when children want something that someone else has, staff support them to ask for it, rather than take it. This supports children to play cooperatively.
• Children develop their independence. Even babies are encouraged to use spoons to feed themselves. Staff stay close by to offer support if needed. Children show that they are becoming self-sufficient as they wash their own hands before and after eating. Children receive lots of praise for their efforts, which helps to boost their self-esteem.
• Parents and carers speak highly of the nursery. They know who their child's key person is and appreciate the support they receive as a family. They comment on the progress their children have made since attending, and receive daily communication informing them of what children have been doing during their time at nursery.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported. Parents provide key words in children's primary language to support communication between staff and children. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and other professionals to coordinate support for children. Suitable learning plans are devised and implemented to help children to make progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to fully understand how to consolidate children's learning
• fully embed the planning system so that all staff provide purposeful learning activities for children.