Cherubins Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The patient and gentle staff provide a nurturing environment, where children feel safe and secure. There have been some challenges with staffing arrangements. However, despite this, children are happy and settled. They approach visitors with confidence and invite them into their play. The spacious environment ensures children can work in smaller groups. This helps children to be more confident and make friends more easily.

Parents comment that the staff are considerate and respectful with the language they use to speak to the children. They comment that their children have become more interested in books and their children's social skills are improving. Staff know the children well and good relationships are evident. Photographs of children's families are displayed in some rooms to encourage discussion and instil a sense of belonging. Older children play cooperatively. For example, they share the construction equipment and try to make the biggest tower.

Children kindly remind their friends of the rules. For example, to wait until all the food has been served before starting to eat. Parents comment that they can see improvements in their children's behaviour at home. Staff consider children's backgrounds and experience when planning the curriculum. For example, after the COVID-19 restrictions, children's physical needs were targeted. They were encouraged to spend more time outdoors to use large-muscle movements and discover nature.

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

• Managers carefully consider where they can improve. They strive to support children to make the best possible progress. For example, cohort tracking identified that children need more help with mathematical knowledge and understanding of the world. Targeted resources to support mathematical knowledge were increased and staff complete thematic planning to promote children's understanding of the world.
• Children learn through interesting outings. For example, they dress up with their hard hats and watch a utility provider dig to lay pipes. They learn about reservoirs and how water is provided to their homes. They learn about sustainability when they recycle. Parents are encouraged to continue children's learning at home and can access interesting resources from the nursery website.
• Staff swiftly identify children who may need additional support and take action. Staff work well with parents and external professionals to promote all children's good progress. Partnership with parents is effective. Staff make good use of settling-in arrangements and social events to build strong relationships with families and children. Parents say that they appreciate the daily feedback about their children's day.
• The nursery cook provides a nutritious menu. Children thoroughly enjoy the food and learn how to serve themselves. Children are familiar with the daily good hygiene routines. Staff support children to wash their hands appropriately. However, they do not promote children's understanding about why it is important to wash their hands.
• Staff know how children learn and understand their individual needs. Children benefit from activities organised to broaden their understanding and knowledge of school routines. For example, the older children eat their lunch in the dining room. This helps them to gain a sense of what lunchtime at school is like.
• Good routines in the nursery support children to understand what comes next. In the main, children are motivated to learn and show good levels of engagement. However, at times, arrangements for transitions in the toddler's room are not highly effective. For example, just before lunchtime, children have to wait and become restless. This results in less meaningful experiences for children's learning and development.
• Children have access to a large, exciting outdoor environment. They can climb, balance and experiment. They enjoy time in the forest garden to look at bugs, learn to grow plants, and experiment with natural materials. They use their imagination when making mud cakes in the outdoor kitchen. Children learn new colours, such as silver and gold, while decorating their salt dough decorations.
• Staff promote children's growing vocabulary through activities and books. For example, during a transport theme, children learn about hot air balloons. Staff plan activities that encourage conversations with children. For example, in the toddler room, photographs of the children engaged in activities are displayed at child level. This helps discussion and recall. Children's language and communication skills are supported well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the planning for periods of transition, to ensure that children remain engaged in experiences that support their learning and development
• promote children's understanding of the reason for good hygiene practice.