Castle Hill Private Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children make rapid progress from their original starting points on entry. Staff know the children well and understand their differing abilities. The curriculum is challenging and well considered. It encourages children to be curious, inquisitive learners. Staff take great note of what motivates the children and captures their interest, and the curriculum is then built around this. Children persevere and rise to a challenge, supported by staff who gently guide them along the way. For example, staff suggest moving cogs to different positions to try and get a wheel to turn, encouraging children to actively problem-solve.

Staff manage transitions well throughout the nursery to ensure children continue to feel confident and supported as they move through to pre-school. Timely interventions ensure children with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly get the support they need. Staff are proactive in their approach and work effectively with both parents and any professionals involved. Staff make good use of funding to ensure children get the specialist equipment they require so they can fully participate in all activities alongside their peers.

Children learn about how their behaviour impacts others, and staff talk to them about the importance of making good choices. Children cooperate well on tasks. They estimate how many scoops it will take to cover a plastic insect in the soil and work together to achieve this.

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

• Staff work effectively together under a strong leadership team. They provide a curriculum that is ambitious and inclusive, taking account of children's patterns of attendance.
• Staff respond well to babies' verbal and non-verbal cues and encourage children's developing language. They talk to babies about what they can see in the mirrors as they point to their heads, shoulders, knees and toes, and sing to them. Babies enjoy exploring the sounds of different materials as they stomp on, scrunch and shake them.
• Children speak confidently in groups and enjoy sharing their experiences from the weekend with their friends. They talk about flamingos at the zoo and how they stand on one leg. Staff encourage them to have a go themselves, and children offer one another useful suggestions to stick out their arms to help steady themselves. In larger group situations, children find it more difficult to take turns when speaking and to listen to others, resulting in some of the quieter children's voices getting lost.
• Staff teach children about the natural world, and they recall what they have learned on their recent topic about bees. Children remember that honeybees use their tongue like a straw to suck the nectar off the flower. They talk about the shapes and patterns in honeycomb, and staff introduce children to new words and their meanings, such as 'antennae' and 'fragile'.
• Children develop an early love of books and sit engrossed for long periods enjoying books on their own and with staff. Staff ensure that books are freely available to all children throughout the nursery, including outdoors. Many of the children are able to recognise their names and some of the letters. They practise this at self-registration in the morning and when handing out one another's water bottles when setting up for lunch.
• Children learn about oral health and healthy eating, and they visit their local shops to buy ingredients. They learn about how vegetables grow and what they need to thrive. Children brush their teeth in nursery, but staff do not consistently model how to do this effectively, resulting in some children just chewing the toothbrush. Staff do not always take account of children's abilities to further children's physical independence, for example by providing opportunities to practise drinking from an open cup and mastering this skill.
• Leaders place a strong emphasis on supporting the professional development and well-being of staff. Leaders encourage staff to reflect on their practice and the quality of experiences they offer to children. Staff attend regular training to continuously build on their knowledge and skills to improve outcomes for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• encourage pre-school children's listening and attention skills, particularly during group activities
• ensure a consistent approach in encouraging and supporting children to be increasingly physically independent.