Crow Kids Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident in the nursery and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They develop friendships with others and strong bonds with staff. Children have a can-do attitude, are motivated and curious. They have regular opportunities to make marks using a variety of resources, such as paint, pencils and chalks. They develop a love of books. Children are independent. They are keen to choose and lead their own play. They enjoy the responsibility of carrying out small tasks given to them by the staff, such as tidying up before lunch. Babies learn to feed themselves.

Children develop a good understanding of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. They join in with exercises at the start of the day and learn about the impact on their bodies as they check their heart beat. Children enjoy balanced and nutritious meals that are freshly prepared daily. They demonstrate their understanding of healthy eating. For example, a child tells their friends 'Lollipops are not healthy' and that 'You can have them, but not every day'. Children learn to develop healthy habits. For example, they complete a chart at home each time they brush their teeth. Children receive a prize when the chart is completed and returned to the nursery.

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

• The manager and provider have high expectations for all children. They have devised an effective well-sequenced curriculum that covers all areas of learning and helps children to achieve their full potential and prepare them for their next stage of learning, including school. They work closely with parents and external agencies, so that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need to help them to make the progress they are capable of.
• The manager and provider are extremely supportive of the staff team. Staff undertake regular training to enhance their skills and knowledge. This reflects in their good teaching practice and the progress children make.
• Parents speak highly of staff. They comment on the good progress their children make during their time in the nursery. Parents appreciate the regular information they receive about their children's progress, along with ideas and suggestions of how they can continue their children's learning at home.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They support young children to manage their own feelings and behaviours. They gently remind children to wait their turn and talk to them about the importance of sharing with others.
• Staff know their key children well. They plan activities and experiences based upon children's interests and the skills they need to acquire next. However, they do not always recognise and respond to children's emerging interests and use these to further extend children's learning as they play.
• There is a strong focus on communication and language development. The nursery works with parents effectively. For example, children take books home to read with their parents as part of the local 'Bookstart 1000 stories' initiative. Staff working with babies constantly acknowledge their babbles and gestures. They support toddlers to progress from speaking with single words to building small sentences. Older children are continually engaged in conversation by staff, who listen to what they say and ask questions to further develop their language and thinking skills. However, on occasions, children become distracted from fully listening and concentrating during adult-led activities, due to other activities taking place in the same vicinity simultaneously.
• Staff make excellent use of visual aids. This helps to support children's understanding of the routines. Additionally, this helps to support new children, children who speak English as an additional language and those with SEND to settle quickly and feel included.
• Staff support children who speak English as an additional language effectively. They find out key words from the child's home language to use in the nursery. This helps children to develop their language skills and communicate their needs.
• Staff support children's mathematical development. Throughout the nursery, children learn to count, recognise shapes, numbers and quantities.
• Children learn about the natural world as they harvest potatoes they have grown. They have great fun as they wash and prepare them for eating.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise and develop children's emerging interests during activities and play, to extend children's learning further and help them to make even better progress
• help staff to improve children's opportunities to listen and concentrate without distraction during adult-led activities.