Chestnut Tree Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children eagerly arrive and are welcomed by enthusiastic staff, who help them to settle into activities quickly. They explore the engaging learning environment with curiosity. Children independently move around the room, selecting the experiences they would like to engage in. Children show that they feel comfortable as they play alongside staff or enjoy sitting on their laps when listening to stories. Children benefit from effective settling-in processes. The key-person approach helps children to form secure attachments and settle in well. Children show an eagerness for learning and demonstrate high emotional well-being, confidence and good social skills.

Overall, the curriculum is well sequenced and considers children's development. For example, babies and new starters learn how to build attachments and friendships in new environments. Staff encourage toddlers to learn to communicate their needs and wants. This helps them to become more independent for their next stage of learning, such as when they move on to pre-school. Staff want children to become respectful and resilient learners. They promote and ensure the inclusion of all children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive support from dedicated and nurturing staff to achieve their full potential.

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

• Leaders are dedicated and passionate about their roles. They provide regular and effective professional development opportunities for staff to support them to continually improve their practice. Leaders are committed to providing children and families with the best possible experiences and opportunities.
• Leaders have designed a curriculum that builds on what children know and can do, helping to prepare them for their next stage in learning. There is a clear focus on developing children's independence. Staff encourage and support children effectively to take care of their personal needs. For example, children hang their belongings on their named peg and manage their personal hygiene. Staff recognise the importance of these key skills to support children's eventual transition on to school.
• Leaders and staff have high expectations for children. They work together to create learning goals for individual children to achieve in each room. This helps children to build on what they already know and can do before moving on to the next room. As a result, staff manage transitions sensitively to provide continuity in children's learning. Children with SEND receive good support. Leaders and staff form strong partnerships with other professionals to help close the gaps in children's learning.
• Children are eager to join in activities set up for them, such as creating constructions. However, on occasion, staff do not have a clear learning intent for some activities, leading to limited interactions with children during their play. This means that children's learning can sometimes be limited and less purposeful, and they do not fully benefit from all activities they access.
• Partnership working with parents and carers is successful. There is effective and ongoing communication with parents. This contributes to children having a consistent approach to their care and learning. Staff provide parents with daily personalised feedback about how their children have been and what they have been doing. Key persons share information about children's progress regularly with parents, using an online app. Staff share ways that parents can continue their child's learning at home through suggestions for activities.
• Children have daily opportunities to spend time outdoors in the garden. They have opportunities to develop their larger muscles and coordination. For example, when they use and build resources to practise balancing. Staff encourage children to follow good hygiene procedures and to be independent during mealtimes. On the whole, children enjoy a balanced mix of healthy food. However, on occasion, staff do not give enough attention to ensuring that planned menus are consistently nutritious and well balanced to develop children's understanding of a healthy diet.
• Leaders are reflective. They consider different ways to develop the nursery further, such as how to use the rooms more effectively. They follow effective recruitment procedures and obtain required documentation and references prior to staff joining the pre-school. However, these documents are not easily available for inspection at times.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the intent for planned activities so staff can enhance their interactions to build on children's learning more consistently
• review planned menus to make sure that children's meals consistently help them to understand about a well-balanced diet
• enhance the systems for gathering and organising the required documentation and staff's information, ensuring that they are easily available when required.