Churchdown Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and managers react quickly to improve the nursery. They make positive changes to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of the early years foundation stage to keep children safe.

Children arrive happy and ready to start their day. Staff welcome them into the different playrooms, offering comfort and support for those new to the nursery. Children settle quickly and are soon playing with the toys and resources.

Staff support children well as they play and learn. Toddlers have fun joining in with rhymes and songs about baby sharks and bunnies. They know the words and actions and sing loudly, accompanied by the staff. In pre-school, staff plan activities to support children's understanding of technology. For example, children load programmes onto their new computer and complete 'painting' activities. Staff explain the words on the screen and encourage children to name the different colours they choose to add to their pictures.

Staff have high expectations for children. They plan experiences to help teach children how to carry out tasks independently. Staff encourage babies to take fruit for their snack and use signs to ask if they would like more. Toddlers help to set the place mats and cutlery for their friends at mealtimes. Pre-school children work together as they fill plastic shapes with coloured sand using miniature funnels and scoops.

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

• The leadership and management team now has a clear vision for ongoing improvements for the nursery. Leaders and managers monitor staff performance and encourage them to continue their professional development. Staff comment that leaders and managers regularly check their understanding about safeguarding children, and they feel well supported to be able to carry out their roles and responsibilities.
• Staff know the children well and plan for what they want them to learn next. They ask parents for information about what children can already do and watch children as they play and learn in the setting. Staff plan different activities for children to take part in. However, staff do not always make sure that activities and experiences build effectively on what children already know and can do.
• Partnership with parents and other professionals is good. Staff quickly recognise when children might need additional support. They talk with parents and put in place interventions to make sure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress. Parents comment that staff keep them well informed about what children are doing and learning so they can help with learning at home.
• Children's behaviour is good. Staff provide clear messages for children so they know what is happening at different times of the day. For example, staff provide signals for children when it is time to put the toys away. They take time encouraging children to find the right boxes to put toys back into. Staff are good role models for the children. They help children negotiate how to take turns and share favourite toys. Children are learning to respect others and care for their play environments.
• Children have access to different outdoor spaces. Younger children have a covered balcony where they can ride tricycles, rock on the see-saw and roll coloured balls down the guttering. Older children have a large play space, which has a dedicated physical play area. Here, they can swing on the swings and develop their physical skills by climbing up the steps and sliding down the slide. Children also learn how to stay safe while riding bicycles as staff explain the importance of wearing a helmet in case they fall off and bump their heads.
• Children learn about their local and wider community. Younger children have had the chance to visit the nearby airport. They were able to explore the aeroplanes and sit inside the cockpits. Children learn about how others might need help. For example, they collect food and take it down to the local food bank. They also visit the nearby care home and join in with activities with the older people.
• Staff prepare children well for the move on to school. They complete summary assessments of what children can do to share with parents and teachers. They encourage teachers to come to the nursery to meet with the children or take children to visit the schools. Children are confident and able to cope with changes well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make sure that staff plan for children's learning in a way that focuses more closely on what children need to learn next by building on what they know and can do.