Carmena Christian Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have close relationships with staff in this homely nursery. Staff value each child highly and interact positively with them, for example, they smile and use a gentle tone of voice. Staff know children's likes and dislikes, which they use to provide activities that children enjoy. Staff have high expectations of children and use praise to motivate them to behave in positive ways. Children behave well.

The curriculum is wide and interesting. Children develop a good understanding of the world. For instance, staff plant flowers with children and teach them how things grow. Staff teach children the names of different insects and how they live. Children develop good physical skills. For example, they balance well on rockers and practise climbing across frames.

Children gain good mathematical skills. For instance, staff teach children different shape names as they play with wooden pieces. They teach them to count securely, for example as they play with toy animals and sing number rhymes and songs. Children learn about difference. For instance, staff hold culture days, where parents are invited in to read traditional stories and take part in creative activities with children. Staff teach children about a range of special holy days, such as Eid and Diwali.

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

• Staff teach children good communication, language and literacy skills. For example, staff have group sessions where children choose an object from a bucket and talk about it. Staff sing songs with children and read stories to teach them new words.
• Children are able to do things for themselves. For instance, toddlers learn to feed themselves, and older children put on their coats and shoes by themselves. Children learn to serve themselves at mealtimes.
• Staff support children's creative development effectively. Children enjoy using a range of textures, tools and materials in imaginative ways. For example, babies enjoy scrunching shiny foil and listen to the sound it makes. Older children create pictures using chalk, paint and pencils.
• Children learn to share and take turns. For instance, during creative activities, children ensure that they share resources with each other. They cooperate well with each other when using outdoor toys.
• Staff work well with parents. One parent commented, 'The long-serving staff team are caring and competent.' Staff give parents daily updates on children's progress and activities. They work closely with parents and offer advice and support on parenting issues when needed.
• The manager provides good levels of support to staff. She meets with each staff member regularly to review work and offer support. The management team spends a lot of time in group rooms observing practice and working with children. Managers feed back to staff to improve practice where needed. The manager is committed to the development of staff's skills and knowledge, for instance, staff attend a range of courses. This includes a course in supporting children's language and literacy skills, which led to improvements in this area.
• Staff use effective ways to manage children's behaviour. They speak kindly to children and explain why some behaviour is not acceptable. Children behave well. Staff greet children as they arrive and ask them how they are feeling. They teach them about different emotions and how to handle them.
• The manager evaluates all aspects of the nursery and identifies where improvements could be made. For example, she is planning a refurbishment of the nursery to enhance the environment for children.
• Overall, staff intervene in children's play effectively to enhance their learning. However, they do not always enable children to try to solve simple challenges for themselves, particularly for children between two and three years of age.
• The manager ensures that children have daily routines that support their health. Staff provide daily physical challenges for children and prepare fresh nutritious meals for them. Staff have begun to teach children about oral hygiene, for instance, they talk to children about the importance of regular toothbrushing. However, this area has not been fully developed to support children's awareness further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop children's problem-solving skills further, particularly for children aged between two and three years
• strengthen children's awareness of oral hygiene further.