Chrysalis Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this exceptional nursery. They develop strong bonds with the nurturing and attentive staff. This ensures that children settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Children behave exceptionally well. They are instinctively kind towards their peers. Toddlers learn how to care for others as they bath dolls and put nappies on them. Older children take time to listen to each other as they share their experiences of what books they read at home.

Children benefit from a rich and exciting curriculum, which supports their learning across all areas. They sustain high levels of concentration and are highly motivated to join in. For instance, children enjoy making their own dough. They mix the ingredients together and giggle as the flour 'puffs into the air'. The outside area offers the same enticing learning environment as inside, giving children who prefer to learn outside the same rich experiences. Children enjoy smelling different herbs in the mud kitchen and explore using different tools to mark make with paint on easels.

Children are extremely independent. They serve their own lunch and independently scrape their own plates. Children learn about the importance of good hygiene routines from an early age. Special responsibilities such as 'helper of the day' help to develop children's characters and raise their self-esteem. They learn about what makes them unique as they share family photos.

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

• The management team is inspirational. Their ambition for children to succeed and be the best they can is shared by the dedicated staff team. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make excellent progress. Staff expertly follow children's interests, which keeps children deeply engaged. The curriculum is progressively built based on the knowledge and skills children have with a view to developing what they need to learn next. This means that children are exceptionally well prepared for the next stages of their learning.
• Children enjoy a wealth of opportunities to learn about their local community, including trips to the library, supermarkets and local parks. The nursery involves children in events such as Remembrance Day and fun days, at which members of the local community, such as the local mayor, attend. These trips enrich children's experiences and inspire them to connect to the wider world around them.
• Support for children's language and literacy development is outstanding. Staff immerse children in rich, vibrant language as they narrate their day. They introduce new words at every opportunity. Babies delight as staff sing nursery rhymes with them, using props such as bubbles. Cosy reading corners are created for children to explore books. The 'book of the month' provides opportunities for children to learn in depth about stories.
• Partnerships with parents are exceptional. Parents are fully involved in their children's life at the nursery. They attend autumn walks with the children and staff. Parent have regular consultations with staff to keep them up to date with their children's learning. Social evenings are used to share information for parents to support their child's development, such as toilet training and preparation for school. Parents state that the nursery goes 'above and beyond' and 'truly provides children with first-class care'.
• Transitions in the nursery are managed extremely well. Children know the routines of the day and are calm and happy. For example, babies know when it is lunchtime, as staff sing to them. Transitions between activities are seamless, allowing staff to fully devote their attention to the needs of the children. Staff work closely between the rooms to ensure children are fully supported as they move through the nursery.
• Children have extensive opportunities to learn how to keep their bodies healthy. They enjoy being physically active in the outside area as they ride up and down in cars. Children learn how to bend and stretch their bodies during yoga sessions. They learn about oral health and enjoy a wide range of healthy and nutritious meals.
• The management team has a high regard for staff, providing effective supervision procedures and offering extensive opportunities to ensure that teaching is always of the highest quality. Staff report high levels of well-being.