Country Kids Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery happy. Parents share information about their child with the key person who greets them at the door. Staff tell the parents about what is set up in the nursery and what their child will be learning that day. This helps to promote positive parent relationships. Children feel safe and secure. They confidently leave their parents and enter the nursery. Staff bend down to children's level to talk to them and welcome them in. Children put their belongings away, supported by staff if needed.

Children's ideas and voices are valued. At the end of the morning session, toddlers and pre-school children sit together and the staff encourage them to talk about what they have enjoyed playing with and why. Staff regularly talk to the pre-school children who form the 'nursery council'. They ask them what activities they enjoy and what they would like to be included in the future planning. This encourages children to confidently voice their ideas and opinions.

Children are aware of and follow routines. They eagerly join in with group times, such as movement to music, reflection and yoga. Children respect each other and staff, which promotes positive relationships. For example, older children help one another to find their belongings and to join in with small group activities. They listen closely, making eye contact when staff speak. Children respond to questions that they are asked.

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

• Children's communication and language are promoted well. Staff read stories and use Makaton. Staff model and repeat sounds, single words and gestures with younger children. With older children, staff question them and discuss ideas, introducing new vocabulary that children use in their play.
• Children explore and learn about the world around them. For example, children hunt for items on a check list. They search the outdoor space independently and in small groups to find the objects listed, ticking them off as they find them. Staff give hints to younger children about where they could find items and ask older children questions to develop their thinking skills. For example, staff ask 'where would a baby bird be?' Adults provide activities that mostly support children's development. However, in some adult-led activities, younger children are not always engaged fully.
• Children are physically active. Younger children crawl through tunnels, climb over soft-play blocks and push and pull toys. They tip sand in and out of different containers in the garden. Older children are encouraged to manipulate play dough and fill and empty real tea pots, cups and saucers. Children develop their physical skills as they test out new ways of moving in the space outdoors.
• Children's personal development is promoted well. At group times, babies sit around a mirror. They lean in with staff and look at their faces. Staff label the faces that they pull and point to emotion cards. Toddlers and pre-school children point to pictures of the emotion they are feeling. When a child says 'I'm scared', staff ask why they feel this way. Staff encourage children to talk about what makes them happy. Children learn to talk about their emotions, label them and feel comfortable to express them.
• Children develop their independence and manage their own risks. Before going outside, older children check if it is safe. For example, they check if the gate is shut. Older children get themselves ready to go outside, changing from their slippers to shoes. At lunchtime, older children choose and serve their own food. They successfully pour their own drinks, use spoons to put food on their plates, and use knives and forks to eat. Younger children hold spoons while being fed by staff, and try drinking out of open-top cups.
• Staff say that they are well supported by the management team. There are strategies used by the team to ensure that their well-being is promoted positively. Staff say that this positively impacts their practice with children. Staff have regular meetings and supervisions with management. This supports staff's continuous professional development.
• Leaders, managers and staff have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn. Staff understand how this fits into children's next stages of learning and adapt their practice to support children's individual needs. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to engage younger children more effectively in learning during adult-led activities.