Copperfields Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, safe and secure in this inviting nursery. They know staff will help them to manage risk and keep safe. For instance, young children are taught how to use a slide safely. They learn how to turn around at the top of the slide in order to slide down safely. Others become confident in their movements as they balance on logs and beams. This helps to support their physical development. Staff know the children well. They plan activities they know will interest and motivate the children. For example, children dress up as superheroes and discuss what they should cook for their dinner.

Children understand the expectations staff have of them and follow established routines. They take off their outdoor shoes inside and hold onto the bannister as they walk upstairs. Children behave well and show an understanding of how to take turns. For example, they say 'your turn' and 'my turn' as they play catch with a member of staff. Babies and young children enjoy playing outside where they explore the feel of natural materials, such as sand, mud and straw. Others use twigs and leaves to create homes for the toy animals. Children lead their own learning. They fill containers with water as they say, 'The animals are thirsty.' This helps children to understand the needs of other living things. Children are developing the skills they need in readiness for the next stage in their learning.

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

• Staff have strong partnerships with parents. Parents are complimentary about the level of communication and the availability of staff to discuss their children's needs. Key persons plan children's next steps with parents and provide advice for parents to support their child at home. Information about children's learning, progress and care are recorded on the online system, which parents can also use make comments and contributions.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. The special educational needs coordinator works effectively with parents and external professionals to plan appropriate activities to support their progress.
• Staff routinely monitor the progress of their key children. Where children have gaps in learning, staff plan suitable learning experiences to address these delays. They plan engaging activities to support the progress children make. Children make good progress. Occasionally, staff do not ensure that there are resources available to enhance learning. For example, there are no magnifying glasses available to enable children to closely observe the stick insects and the seedlings.
• Staff regularly video themselves working with children and discuss their strengths and areas for development with the manager. They are given useful feedback to help them to improve their practice. Staff are encouraged to attend training, such as training around helping children to express their feelings. Leaders and staff are reflective. They have recently introduced new learning experiences to support children who speak English an additional language.
• Children of all ages show good levels of concentration and positive attitudes. The youngest children sit with adults and look at books. They learn to turn the pages. Older children predict what might happen to different characters. They can recall a sequence of events and enthusiastically join in with patterned language.
• Staff have forged good links with schools and other settings children attend. They share information about children's learning and progress to help to ensure consistency of care. Children are well prepared for school. They can manage their own self-care. Children can use simple tools independently, such as cutlery. In the nursery, when children are due to move rooms, discussions are held between parents and key persons to establish next steps.
• Staff provide good support for children's communication and language development. They speak clearly and model good language. Young children learn to recognise different sounds, such as those of animals, while older ones can identify initial sounds. They can independently think of words beginning with specific sounds. For example, they correctly suggest that the word 'sword' begins with the sound 's'. Staff generally question children well. However, at times, they do not give children time to express their own ideas before providing a response.
• Children are provided with a range of opportunities to support their early writing skills. They enjoy using a range of implements to draw stick insects. Others make potato prints and recognise simple mathematical shapes in the stencils they colour.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• allow children time to think about their responses and share their ideas, to help to support their critical-thinking skills
• provide additional resources to take better consideration of the interests and abilities of the children, to meet their learning needs.