Comfort Angelz Daycare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the nursery and quickly immerse themselves in play and activities. Babies are content and enjoy listening to staff singing to them and joining in with musical instruments. Toddlers play imaginatively in the role-play area. They show their developing speech and language skills as they talk to each other about what they are doing. Older children display their developing understanding of the world as they use shaving foam as 'cement' with blocks. They understand that this is how bricks stick together to make buildings.

Children are learning how to develop healthy lifestyles. Staff provide toddlers with real fruit and vegetables for role play. They talk together about the benefits of healthy diets. Babies have lots of room to crawl and explore. They are able to pull themselves to standing as they learn to walk. Although the nursery does not have an outside area, all children benefit from daily exercise in the fresh air. Pre-school children are very active and show good skills as they throw and kick balls. They listen to staff and behave well as they stay within the boundaries set for them in the public place.

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

• The provider, managers and staff have a clear ethos for providing high-quality care and education. Staff in each room have a clear development plan in place, which they use to evaluate and strengthen their practice. Staff report that they feel valued by the provider and managers. They have many opportunities for training and to further their qualifications.
• Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are supported well. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the children and their needs. They work closely with parents and other professionals. This helps them to find the best ways to help individual children to catch up with their peers.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager has made effective changes to help keep children and staff safe. In order to keep social distancing, parents are currently not coming into the building. Staff use an online system and telephone calls to keep parents updated on children's progress. The manager has noticed gaps emerging in some children's social skills. She has made changes to attendance patterns for children in receipt of funding. They now attend more regularly and these gaps are beginning to close.
• Most areas in the nursery are tailored to children's education and learning. The baby room is calm and staff are attentive to their every need. Toddlers are busy, engaging in activities such as exploring sand. Staff count with them as they fill up containers. The pre-school room is full of activity, where children have a wealth of opportunities. Staff are continually reflecting on children's needs and making changes, in light of growing numbers. Dividing pre-school children into groups, inside and outside, is enabling children to engage more fully in learning.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents say that staff share information with them about their child's progress and provide advice on how to support learning at home. Parents report that their children are happy and settled at the nursery.
• The provider and her management team use robust recruitment and selection procedures. They carefully identify staff who are suitable and share their vision for good-quality care and education. A comprehensive induction procedure helps staff to quickly understand their roles and responsibilities.
• Overall, adult-led times, such as circle time and singing times, are engaging for most children. Those who have experience of the daily routines stay focused. However, with the large number of new children in the pre-school room, group times are now too big. This means that some children are not fully accessing the learning opportunities offered to them.
• Staff generally support children's learning well and are attentive to their emotional needs. However, staff do not always have the highest expectations for what the pre-school children can learn. They provide resources and activities based on children's interests, but do not always understand how to use these to extend children's knowledge and thinking skills further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• reorganise group activities in the pre-school room to ensure all children can fully access the learning opportunities offered to them
• continue to support staff to understand how to plan activities and experiences that build on pre-school children's interests and extend their learning to higher levels.