Christie Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome from nurturing staff in this bright and busy nursery. They arrive eager to talk to staff and find out what fun activities they will be doing each day. Children enjoy learning through exploration. For example, they push trucks through shaving foam, fascinated by the marks they make on the floor. Children laugh with staff as they clap, sending the foam in all directions. In the baby room, staff encourage children to throw soft balls and then toddle away to find them again. Staff praise children's creativity as they they create crowns from flowers and feathers and dress up as royalty. This engaging practice motivates children to learn.

All children make good progress through the curriculum. Leaders and staff are passionate about ensuring that the nursery is inclusive and children feel part of the community. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They praise positive behaviour and help children to understand the effects their actions can have on others. Children show they feel safe and secure in this nursery. They demonstrate high levels of confidence and are eager to talk to new people. Children form strong attachments to staff members and seek them out for cuddles and reassurance and to share their achievements.

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

• Staff deliver a curriculum rich in opportunities to develop children's speech and language. They ask thought-provoking questions based on the books they read. Staff leave plenty of time for children to think and form their answers. They teach children a wide range of nursery rhymes and encourage them to form sentences. Staff model the use of a wide vocabulary and use a good standard of English. As a result, children are able to communicate and express themselves effectively.
• There is an effective key-person system in place. Each staff member knows their key children well. They use this knowledge to plan engaging learning opportunities that meet children's interests. Key persons communicate regularly with parents and carers about their children's overall well-being, learning and development. This ensures that children's changing needs are met.
• Staff provide ample opportunities for children to learn to be responsible for their own needs. At mealtimes, children serve their own vegetables and drinks. Staff support children to gradually learn personal care skills, such as washing their hands and toileting. At the sound of a tambourine, children know they need to tidy up their toys. This practice supports children to develop their independence skills.
• Staff help children to feel secure during big changes. Settling-in sessions are flexible and supportive of children's individual needs. When children are ready to move to new rooms, staff support this by sharing information and gradually extending visits. Children are well prepared to begin school. For example, they visit their new classroom with their friends. As a result, children feel confident as they move on to the next stage of their learning.
• Staff teach children about different aspects of healthy lifestyles. They read engagingly about a princess who learns to like peas. Children later talk to their friends about healthy vegetables. Staff show children how to brush their teeth during daily circle times. These learning opportunities help children to understand how to make healthy choices.
• Leaders adopt a collaborative approach to how they manage staff. They listen to the opinions of staff on what is working well in each room. However, leaders do not consistently focus their support for staff on enhancing their practice while teaching the curriculum. For example, they do not support staff to deliver planned learning opportunities that are sharply focused on what they intend children to learn. This means that, at times, some activities do not target what individual children need to learn next.
• Staff promote children's positive behaviour. Children show a good understanding of the rules and try hard to be kind and share. However, staff do not always manage times of transition in the daily routine effectively. For example, they do not ensure that children are engaged in purposeful activity and know what is expected of them. Occasionally, this leads to children displaying unwanted behaviour.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the use of observations and supervision sessions so that all staff receive the targeted coaching and mentoring they need to develop their practice to a consistently high level
• support staff to plan and organise transitions in daily routines more effectively, to ensure that children understand expectations and remain focused and engaged.