Daisy & Jake Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children with an enthusiastic welcome each day. Staff have built caring, respectful relationships with the children who they know well. Children receive frequent cuddles throughout the day and staff seek permission before carrying out personal care. These relationships help children to feel safe and secure.

Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. Leaders use additional funding effectively according to children's individual needs. Children are eager to explore the exciting environments that staff create. Young children excitedly shake instruments along to familiar songs. Children have made friendships with their peers and enjoy playing together. For example, when children discover ladybirds outside, they work cooperatively to create a home for them from leaves. Children show good levels of independence. All children are encouraged to hang up their belongings and to feed themselves. Older children serve their own meals and pour their own drinks competently. When spillages occur, children independently clean them up. Children are confident in their own abilities and make good progress in their learning.

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

• Leaders are committed to providing quality care and education. They have a good overview of the strengths and next steps for staff practice and provide staff with a range of support and training. However, leaders do not consistently check the impact of this support in addressing minor inconsistencies in staff practice. For example, on occasions young children wait for longer than necessary for their meals. This results in them not being as engaged at these times and attempting to wander away. Furthermore, some staff ask questions that are hard for children to understand and answer.
• Overall, children learn about healthy lifestyles. All children have plenty of opportunities to play outside in the fresh air. They are provided with healthy, nutritious meals and snacks. Children are taught to wash their hands before mealtimes and after using the toilet. However, staff do not always ensure that they wash their hands after wiping children's noses to help to reduce the spread of germs.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is passionate about supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families. She liaises well with outside agencies to ensure all children receive support to meet their individual needs. Children with SEND make good progress in their learning from their starting points.
• Staff encourage children to be physically active. Babies have the space to crawl and cruise. Older children create physical challenges for their friends such as challenging them to kick balls through pipes into a bucket. Children use their strength as they push each other in wheelbarrows. Children are provided with many fun activities that support their physical development.
• In the main, staff support children's communication and language skills well. As children use a toy telephone, staff encourage them to talk about who they are speaking to. Staff point out sounds in the environment, such as the sound of aeroplane. Staff read aloud to children with enthusiasm. Babies choose their favourite stories and pass them to staff and they eagerly explore the pages together. Older children talk about the stories that they have enjoyed and vote for their favourite one. Children are supported to become confident communicators.
• Staff promote children's early mathematics skills well. Young children eagerly join in with number rhymes and shout 'blast off' when they get to 10. Staff encourage children to consider how many chairs are needed at snack time and introduce language such as 'more' and 'less'. Older children count accurately up to 10 as they walk up the stairs. Children are gaining a positive attitude towards early mathematics.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Parents say that their children settle quickly and love attending the nursery. Parents feel supported when they have concerns about their children's development and the say they appreciate the links staff have with other agencies such as health visitors. They know what their children's next steps are and staff share ideas to extend learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve consistency in staff practice by having a clearer oversight of the impact of training and support
• support staff to understand the importance of consistently implementing the nursery's hygiene procedures, such as handwashing after wiping children's noses.