Chatterbugs Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are friendly, happy and polite at this nursery. They confidently leave their parents at the door when they arrive and staff take them to join in activities with their friends. The nursery has an effective key-person system in place which supports good relationships between staff, children and their family from the start of their nursery journey. Staff respond quickly when children are feeling unsettled and offer reassurance and cuddles to children when they are feeling tired. They provide resources from home to help them to settle to sleep when needed.

Behaviour is very good. Staff encourage children to talk about how they are feeling and this means that children are aware of their friends' emotions. When they notice their friends are feeling sad, they offer to share with them.

Leaders engage staff in implementing a curriculum which supports progress for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum supports consistency of staff's practice as children grow through the nursery. There is a strong focus on developing children's independence skills. Staff ensure they share this vision with parents. This supports them to understand the learning in the activities the children engage with during the day and how they can further support their children at home.

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

• Children's physical development is well supported outdoors. Children access a range of wheeled toys. They carefully negotiate the climbing equipment, as well as exploring balancing along an obstacle course they have set up. Staff consider the safety of equipment depending on the conditions of the day.
• Early literacy skills are promoted throughout the nursery. Younger children lay on the cushions to look at books. They turn the pages and make sounds as they 'read' the books. They play instruments as they sing along with rhymes, carefully keeping to the rhythm. Older children independently access pencils and scissors, which they confidently use to create their work.
• Staff acknowledge the importance of supporting children's developing speaking and listening skills. They put in place additional interventions, such as small-group talk sessions with children who are quieter or have SEND. This helps to develop children's confidence and communication skills. Larger group carpet times are generally engaging. However, sometimes younger children are expected to stay listening on the carpet for a long period of time. As a result, some children in the group become restless and lose interest.
• Children's developing thinking skills are supported through the staff's engaging interactions. For example, during morning carpet time they involve older children in planning their day. Staff ask what they want to do that day and help them think about what resources they need. When younger children sit and do puzzles, staff ask if they can name the animals as they place them in the right space. When children don't know the name for squirrel and say, 'fox', staff comment, 'that's similar, but that's a squirrel'.
• Children are well behaved. They like to be helpful and understand the expectations of the nursery. Leaders have implemented systems to further develop their independence skills. For example, older children serve their own food and carry their plates to the table at mealtimes. However, leaders acknowledge that this practice can take a long time, which results in some children having to wait a long time before they can have their lunch.
• Staff support children's mathematical development both through focussed activities and by talking to them about number and counting through their interactions. When children find pine cones in the nursery garden staff ask how many they have and help them to count.
• Parent partnership is valued. Parents comment that the staff are friendly and that communication is good. They appreciate the online app which means they can see what their children have done each week. They feel their children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning journey.
• Leaders are aware of areas of strength and those requiring development in this nursery. They access support when needed from the local authority. Staff say they are happy at the nursery. They talk about the training they attend which supports their practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider the length of time that younger children are expected to sit and engage during group carpet time
• review the organisation of the lunchtime routine to reduce the time children have to wait for their lunch.