Caterpillar Day Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident at this home-from-home nursery. Kind, caring and friendly staff greet children and families warmly. Staff create an environment where children can be sociable and enjoy each other's company. Children happily play with their friends and adults. They are confident to speak with adults and share their knowledge and ideas. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They form positive relationships with children. Staff help children to understand the rules of the nursery. They encourage children to put resources away when they finish using them. Children remind their friends to use their 'walking feet' when they start to run inside. They show determination and concentration as they attempt to put the jigsaw pieces in a puzzle. Children's behaviour is good. They feel safe and secure.

Staff support children to develop a love of stories, songs and rhymes. Children have favourite stories and join in with the phrases and words of the stories. Staff use puppets and props as they sing songs and rhymes. Children choose the puppets and join in with the words and actions. Staff introduce stories when they are out in the community. For example, they tell children the story of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' as they walk over the railway bridge and 'We're going on a Bear Hunt' as they walk through the forest.

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

• Staff support children's language and communication development very well. They engage children in back-and-forth conversations. Staff model new words as they play. For example, they comment the glue is 'gloopy'. Staff model the names of fruit and vegetables as children play a threading game. They introduce the word 'bungalow' as they talk about different houses. Children are confident talkers.
• Staff plan activities for children to develop their physical skills. Children run around the outdoor area. They enjoy racing on scooters and ride-on toys. Children use their large muscles to shake the parachute. Staff teach children how to play hopscotch. Children competently jump and hop across the numbers. They develop good physical skills and are confident movers.
• Children enjoy doing things for themselves. They access the resources and enjoy the challenge of using scissors. Staff encourage children to wash their hands and put their coats on. However, children do not have the same opportunity to develop their independence skills at snack times and mealtimes. Staff pour children's drinks and serve their food. Children do not have the opportunity to do this for themselves. This means that children may not make the progress they are capable of in this area.
• Staff complete the progress check for children aged between two and three years effectively. Managers work with health visitors to identify any support that children and families may need. They work with outside agencies to ensure that children receive the support they need. Managers use additional funding effectively. For example, they offer children additional sessions during the holidays. Staff plan appropriate next steps in learning for children. All children make good progress.
• Leaders and managers plan a range of experiences for children to explore the wider world. Children visit the allotment and go on walks through the woods. Staff and children fundraise for various charities within the local and wider community. This helps children to develop an understanding of their local community and the wider world.
• Children learn to competently use scissors and use a variety of mark-making tools. Staff plan activities for children to explore creative resources. However, sometimes the resources available limit children's imaginative and creative development. For example, staff provide children with a spring creative activity that only has paper and paint that are shades of pink and purple. This means that children have limited colours that they can use.
• Leaders and managers communicate well with parents. Parents feel well informed and are very happy with the care their children receive. They comment their children enjoy attending the nursery. Parents share that their children have 'come on leaps and bounds' since attending the nursery. They appreciate the monthly updates and the reports they receive about their child's learning and development. Staff share activities that families can complete at home. This helps children to develop the skills they need when they move on to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan further ways to allow children to consistently develop their independence skills, particularly during mealtimes and snack times
• consider how children can develop their imaginations and creativity skills during planned activities.