Church View Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this very friendly and warm setting. They build strong bonds with staff, who are caring, calm and kind. Staff and children enjoy each other's company as they dance, share books and build with toy bricks.

Support for children's emotional development is a strength of the setting. Staff are very positive role models. They support and encourage children and clearly praise their achievements. This helps to build children's confidence and self-esteem. Staff talk to children about different emotions and use symbols to help children express how they feel. They support children to feel a sense of ownership and belonging. For example, staff encourage children to make choices and decisions about how the nursery is resourced. Staff support children well as they move through the daily routine. They use songs and sand timers to help children to understand when it is time to tidy up and move on to the next activity.

Children are curious as they explore with their senses and make imaginary potions, using grapefruits, lemons and limes. They are motivated to learn as they explore musical instruments and make marks with crayons. Children play imaginatively with their friends and learn to share and to take turns. They are emotionally and socially well prepared for their move to school or the next stage in their learning.

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

• Staff know where children are in their development and what they would like them to learn next. They plan a wide range of exciting activities and experiences that they know will interest children. For example, they plan a spa day for baby dolls and bath time for toy dinosaurs for children, who particularly enjoy water play.
• Overall, support for children's growing independence is good. However, staff do not consistently support children to master practical skills, such as serving their food or using cutlery themselves.
• Support for children's developing communication and language skills is good. Staff chat to children about their play and repeat their words back to them. This helps children to know that their words are valued and understood. Staff use singing and songs to help children to develop their vocabularies.
• Overall, staff provide good support in helping children to remain focused and engaged in their learning and play. However sometimes, at small-group times and activities, staff do not consistently use strategies to support children's listening and attention skills, resulting in some children becoming distracted.
• Staff plan strong support for children's physical development. Children enjoy fresh air and exercise as they climb and balance on tyres in the setting's secure garden. Staff arrange activities at floor and standing height, to help children build their core strength. They use cable reels to encourage babies to pull themselves to standing.
• Children learn about their local community, nature and the lives of others. For example, they mark cultural events, such as Chinese New Year. Children visit a local library and museums. They enjoy nature walks, where they learn about seasons and the life cycles of tadpoles.
• Staff are extremely caring in their support of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with professionals in education and health involved with children in their care. This helps to create a consistent approach to support for children's learning and development.
• Partnerships with parents are strong and feedback is excellent. Parents have high praise for the supportive and nurturing nature of leaders and staff. They praise the systems in place for communication and how staff plan activities around the interests of their children. They say their children love coming to the setting.
• Leaders provide strong support to staff for their professional development through meetings, training and observations of practice. Additional funding has helped to provide training for staff on support for children's emotional development. This has had a positive impact on staff knowledge and expertise.
• Leaders encourage staff to take responsibility for specialist areas within the setting and curriculum. For example, the setting has an identified practitioner for well-being. There are good opportunities for staff to progress through the setting and develop their careers.
• Leaders are reflective and demonstrate a positive attitude towards continuous improvement. Staff work well together as a team. Leaders and staff are dedicated to their work and committed to ensuring that children are at the centre of everything they do.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that, across the setting, children are consistently provided with the support they need to develop their practical independence skills
• develop strategies to support children's listening and attention skills at small-group times and activities.