Cottontails Day Nursery - Burtonwood Village

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have a positive start to their education at the nursery. They make friends and form secure attachments with staff. Children are safe and content. They become deeply engaged in their learning as they explore the wealth of resources and activities on offer. Staff set high expectations for all children, which helps to ensure children's knowledge and skills develop over time.

Children behave well. Strong routines support their positive behaviour. Children listen to staff and follow instructions without hesitation. They are kind to their friends and enjoy playing in collaboration with each other. All age groups have access to dedicated outdoor areas. Children move freely between the inside and outside spaces, making their own choices and directing their own learning. Parents have accompanied children on a visit to the local park, helping to support children's physical development.

Children have lots of opportunities to learn about the wider world they live in. For example, they regularly take part in group sessions with older members of the community at the local library. This supports their understanding of different types of people, promoting a culture of tolerance and respect for others.

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

• Staff know their key children very well. They comprehensively track children's progress to help them decide what they want children to learn next. Staff make sure children's learning is secure before moving on to new skills. All children, including those who receive additional funding, make good progress in their learning.
• Staff extend children's learning as they play. For example, as children make footprints in sand, staff encourage them to compare the sizes of their feet. Children's understanding grows as staff treat play as a meaningful learning opportunity.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. Staff use strategies such as visual cards and signing to promote children's understanding. Additional adults provide support to children. This helps children with SEND to achieve the best progress they are capable of.
• Children have extremely positive attitudes towards learning. They are eager to explore and learn. For example, as children build towers with large bricks, staff challenge them to build the tallest towers they can. When the towers fall down, staff encourage children to persevere and rebuild. This helps children to become resilient when they face difficulties.
• Equality and diversity are well promoted. Staff teach children about festivals from different cultures, such as Chinese New Year and Diwali. They use books to open discussions about different types of families. Staff encourage children to treat everybody equally, valuing and respecting each other's differences.
• Pre-school children show great focus during whole-group activities. They are eager to share their own thoughts with the group. For example, as children learn about different forms of transport, they confidently share where they have been on a plane. Children show a high level of respect and consideration as they listen intently to one another.
• Relationships with babies are sensitive and caring. However, at lunchtime, babies are not served their food in a timely manner. They become restless as they wait. Some babies struggle to settle for their meal.
• Children's independence skills are promoted well. For example, children are encouraged to wipe their own noses and put their tissues in the bin. This helps children to develop skills in self-care and builds their self-esteem. Children show great pride in their achievements.
• The management team is passionate about providing quality care and education for children. The highly qualified team of staff regularly attend training that is tailored to their needs and the needs of children. For example, staff have recently taken part in training on health and nutrition. This has helped them to consider portion sizes, supporting children's health and well-being.
• Parents are very happy with the care the nursery provides. They value the communication they receive through an online system. Staff send home ideas for parents on how to support children's learning at home. Parents and grandparents are invited into the nursery on special days. This helps to support positive partnerships between the nursery and families.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how mealtimes are organised so that babies do not wait longer than necessary for food.