Cherubs and Imps Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff provide a friendly and welcoming environment for the children. As a result, children are confident and relaxed in the nursery. Babies smile and gurgle happily as they play with cereal in a tray. They run the cereal through their hands and squeeze it into balls. This helps to develop their physical skills. As a member of staff starts to sing a familiar song, the babies all stop what they are doing and turn in delight to listen. They laugh and clap their hands, enjoying the song and the sound of the familiar voice. This reflects the highly positive and nurturing relationships between staff and children.

Children play happily with their friends in the large outdoor spaces. They use funnels, spray bottles and pipes cooperatively in the water tray, politely saying, 'I'll get some water for you,' to their friend. Children concentrate hard as they connect the pipes together and pour the water down them. Staff are encouraging and full of praise for the children's efforts, who are delighted when the water flows all the way down the pipe. This supports the development of their fine motor skills and problem-solving well.

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

• The nursery has adopted a curriculum that is clearly thought out and ambitious for all children. There is a focus on social skills and preparing children for their next steps, such as school. Children enjoy taking part in a range of interesting activities. Generally, the activities planned support the learning intention. However, at times, the intention of some activities is not as clearly understood by staff. At these times, children's progress is more limited.
• Children have lots of fun at the nursery and are encouraged to make their wishes and needs known. At lunchtime, children ask if they can have their lunch in the greenhouse outside. They confidently move the chairs and a table into the greenhouse and help staff to put on the tablecloth. They chatter and giggle as they eat their lunch in the greenhouse, excitedly telling the inspector, 'We asked if we could have our lunch outside and now we are doing!' This shows how the children's confidence and independence are developed well.
• There is a strong focus on developing a love of stories and rhymes at the nursery. Children sit in a circle in excited anticipation as a bag is passed around. They take it in turns to pick out an item and sing the appropriate song with the group. Children are highly enthusiastic as they join in with the familiar songs, playing instruments and clapping at the end. This supports them to develop their early reading skills.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language development well. Staff talk to children as they play in the sand, asking them interesting questions about what they are doing. This generates lots of discussions about making a volcano and what a real volcano might look and sound like. However, occasionally, the curriculum for communication and language is not always consistently implemented. At these times, children are not as effectively supported to develop their speaking and listening skills.
• Staff say that they feel valued and thoroughly enjoy working at the nursery. They are highly positive about the support they receive from each other and from nursery leaders. Staff work well together and benefit from supervision sessions with leaders, which provide support and promote continuous professional development.
• The nursery has set itself firmly at the heart of the community. Children took part in a local gardening competition and made a poppy wreath for the cenotaph on Remembrance Day. On World Kindness Day, they walked around the local area, giving flowers to the community. Staff plan these experiences to help children to develop an understanding of their local community and the wider world.
• Parents report that they work in a strong partnership with the nursery. They say that their children are happy and settled and look forward to their nursery sessions. Parents appreciate that their child's key person talks to them about their child's progress. This enables them to continue their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase staff confidence in how to identify more precisely what they want children to learn from an activity, so that the teaching matches the intention
• extend the support provided to staff to enhance their understanding of the very best ways to implement the curriculum for communication and language.