Calvary Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff offer a safe and nurturing space for children. Staff get to know the children well and are attentive to their emotional needs. They build affectionate bonds with children, which helps them to settle and feel secure. Overall, staff have high expectations for children. They interact sensitively and help them to develop their personal and social skills. Staff teach children to be helpful and to use good manners. They support them to manage their own personal care, such as washing their hands and using the toilet independently. Children are reassured by staff's patient and caring approach. They become confident learners and are ready to tackle challenges. For instance, children notice that some of the toy vehicles have come apart, and they show high levels of perseverance as they fit them back together.

There is a broad curriculum to help children to progress across all areas of learning. Leaders recognise the importance of good communication skills if children are to succeed at school. Therefore, there is a strong focus on promoting children's language development. Staff model new words as they comment on children's play, helping them to build their vocabularies. They sing, read stories and hold conversations with children to encourage their spoken language. This helps children to become confident communicators.

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

• In general, staff have a good understanding of the curriculum and how to support children's learning. For example, as children paint pictures of fruit, staff comment on the colours and textures to boost children's vocabularies. However, staff do not always consider how they can extend children's learning beyond what they already know and can do. This does not fully enhance children's individual learning.
• There is good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff assess children's progress from the start to ensure that their needs are identified early. They receive guidance and training from other agencies to implement effective interventions. For example, staff use objects to help children understand what comes next in the daily routine and cope better with the transitions. Leaders ensure that additional funding is used effectively to enhance children's learning. Children progress well from their starting points.
• Staff get to know the children well and recognise when they need support to process and express their feelings. They take children to a quiet 'sensory space', where they can begin to regulate their emotions, away from the busy nursery environment. All children, including children with SEND, learn through positive and supportive interactions.
• Overall, staff promote children's good behaviour well. They are positive role models and teach children to treat others with respect and kindness. However, staff are not consistently clear and consistent about the rules and expectations within the setting. Therefore, at times, children are unsure about what they can and cannot do.
• Children relish the time spent outdoors, where they have space to exercise and play in all weathers. Staff provide a wide range of activities and resources that encourage children to practise their large- and small-muscle movements. Children show increasing confidence and coordination in their physical skills as they climb, run, balance and ride tricycles.
• Staff focus on teaching children healthy habits, such as good hygiene and oral health. They provide nutritious meals and snacks and explain the importance of making positive food choices. Children are beginning to understand about the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle. For example, they talk about the foods that help their bodies to grow strong.
• Leaders promote good teamwork and foster a supportive and friendly environment where staff feel valued. They ensure that staff revisit mandatory training regularly, to help them to keep children safe and well. Leaders also support staff in improving their professional skills and childcare qualifications to ensure that their practice is always developing.
• Parents are keen to share their views on the setting. They comment that staff really care about their children, which reassures them that children are safe and well looked after. Parents say they receive good feedback on their children's time in the setting. They appreciate staff's guidance on matters such as children's speech development and toilet training, which helps them to support children's progress at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to more consistently identify when there are opportunities to challenge and extend children's learning
• support staff to be clearer and more consistent with children about the boundaries and expectations for behaviour.