Clever Clogs Day Nursery Durham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children learn important skills for life through a wide range of exciting and challenging activities at this very inclusive and welcoming nursery. They learn how to use scissors, cutlery and a large variety of tools safely and skilfully. For example, small groups of children learn how to saw with real woodworking tools. They make resources, such as wooden toys and bird houses, under the close supervision of staff. Older children focus intently as they cut carefully with scissors. Younger children grip different tools and explore with their fingers as they make marks in trays of flour and oats. Children learn how to pour their own drinks through activities, which staff plan for them to practise filling and tipping. This helps to support children's physical skills and rapidly growing independence.

Staff are excellent role models and provide sensitive and skilful support to children to be helpful, caring and kind to others. For example, they encourage children to act fairly as they take turns to ride tandem bikes together in the enclosed garden. Staff involve children in everyday tasks that help them develop a sense of ownership and belonging. For example, staff encourage children to help them fill the water tray using jugs and buckets. Staff clearly praise children's efforts and encourage their achievements. This helps to raise children's confidence and self-esteem.

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

• Relationships between children and staff are superb. Children quickly form close bonds with staff, who are respectful, caring and kind. Staff plan excellent support for children's developing communication and language skills. They introduce new words through stories and songs to help children to expand their vocabularies.
• Staff plan a very enabling environment for children's learning. Children use all their senses as they explore with highly stimulating and tactile resources. For example, children play imaginatively with real fruit and vegetables in the pretend kitchen. They count with pebbles and explore textures and smells using pine cones, lentils and herbs.
• Parents praise the outstanding support their children receive as they move through different stages of learning at the nursery. Staff share detailed information with each child's next key person to help ensure continuity of care. They plan carefully for changes for children and take time to help them become familiar with new rooms and staff.
• The nursery has built strong links with local schools children go on to attend. They meet with teachers and invite them into the setting to observe children at play. Staff contact schools after children have left nursery to check how they have settled. They are very reflective and ask for feedback to see if they can learn any lessons to help improve the process still further.
• Staff plan a very comprehensive and progressive curriculum that clearly reflects different stages of children's development. For example, staff in the baby room plan sensory activities for children to explore with body paint and foam. Meanwhile, staff in the pre-school room plan activities to help children explore the qualities of magnets as part of 'Science Week'.
• The nursery provides outstanding support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents say staff go 'above and beyond' to help source resources and equipment to help include all children. Staff work very closely with health professionals to help provide an extremely consistent approach to support for children's development.
• Children learn about life outside the setting, such as they go on woodland walks and trips to the local shops and library. Children learn about the natural world. For example, they examine frogspawn with magnifying glasses as part of an activity about life cycles.
• The nursery has a very good relationship with a neighbouring care home. Children visit residents and learn about different lives and communities. They take part in singing sessions and craft activities.
• Parents have very high praise for the nursery, the manager and staff. They say the nursery's environment is very caring and nurturing. Parents describe how staff 'take real care in planning engaging sessions for children'. They praise the excellent systems for communication and the rapid progress their children make.
• Leadership and management of the nursery are outstanding. Support for staff's continuous professional development is excellent. The manager has great confidence in her staff team, who she supports extremely well. The manager and staff are dedicated to their work and the children and families in their care.