Buttons Daycare Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they are happy and feel safe in staff's care. They find familiar blankets and sit with staff when they need reassurance and comfort. Children who speak English as an additional language laugh with staff when they play a hiding game. The close bond that children have with staff is reinforced further when the same member of staff always changes their nappies. This time is a positive experience for children. They copy sounds staff make, play peekaboo games and give them good eye contact. Children receive praise for their achievements, such as when they go down a slide on their own. This helps to raise their self-esteem.

Children enjoy being physically active. Indoors, children in the baby room climb steps and access equipment to challenge their balance and coordination. Children in the toddler room are encouraged by staff to solve problems in their play. For example, they ask them questions about how they are going to make a ramp for their toy cars. Children rest wooden planks on climbing equipment and roll their cars down. Children make their own decisions, taking and managing risks in their play. For instance, they climb up a wooden ramp after they tell staff they think it is safe to do so. Children are supervised by staff who stay close by to support if necessary and to promote their safety. Children show a positive attitude to trying new experiences.

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

• The manager supports her staff effectively with their well-being. Staff say that they particularly like the support they receive to help them to understand how they are feeling. Staff work well as a team and this helps to provide children with a warm and friendly environment of care and respect for others.
• Staff use information from parents about their child's abilities, along with their own observations and assessments, to help identify how they can support children's development. Staff encourage children in the baby room to learn through their senses. They provide children with different materials to explore and investigate. For instance, staff show children how to use objects in different ways. This includes showing them how to carry objects on a spoon and to use a spoon to bang on other objects to make a sound.
• Children are supported to be ready for their next stage of learning. They are provided with opportunities to be emotionally prepared for when they move rooms in the nursery. For example, staff take them on visits to see the next room and to meet staff to help them to become familiar with the environment.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. For example, they sing songs with children and ask them questions, giving them time to think and respond. However, occasionally, in the baby room, some staff use different ways to say things, such as 'piggy' for 'pig' and 'doggy' for 'dog'.
• Although these words may help children's understanding, this means that children do not consistently hear the correct pronunciation of words.
• Staff work in partnership with parents to support their children's learning. They share information with parents about their child's learning experiences and how they can continue to support their care and learning at home. For example, children choose books to take home to encourage parents to read to them. Parents can borrow resources to help them to support their children to sleep better at home.
• Staff in the baby room model using good manners, such as when children pass them toys they say 'thank you'. Children in the toddler room hear songs that remind them to use good manners when they sit down at lunchtime. However, staff do not fully think about the different abilities of children in the toddler room when they try to encourage them to take turns. This results in some children not understanding what is expected of them.
• Parents appreciate the food staff offer their children and how this helps to vary their diet. Staff promote healthy eating and provide children with a variety of snacks that include foods from around the world. For example, children have opportunities to try homemade fruit bread that originates from Jamaica. Staff adapt the menu to meet children's dietary requirements. This helps to promote children's good health.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in the baby room to develop opportunities for children to hear the correct pronunciation of words
• help staff in the toddler room to reflect on the different abilities of the children in order to help them to understand how to take turns with others.