Daisy Chain

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a welcoming and nurturing environment for children. Children are happy and they enjoy spending time here. Staff form caring and positive bonds with children. This helps children settle quickly into the nursery routines. Staff provide children with cuddles and they stay close to them when they need reassurance. They know when children are tired, hungry or unwell and respond appropriately to meet children's needs.

Staff plan activities that entice children into learning. For example, babies giggle with glee as they splash in the water tray while washing the dolls. Toddlers use paint rollers and water to make marks up and down the outdoor walls. Pre-school children show high levels of engagement as they make their own porridge. Children develop their strength and coordination and show good listening and attention skills.

Children behave well. They learn how to take turns with their peers. For example, children wait patiently to serve their own food at mealtimes. Staff provide opportunities to support children's growing independence. For example, toddlers learn how to safely cut their own fruit. Pre-school children use the water stations to fill their own cups up. This helps children feel proud of the tasks they can complete by themselves.

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

• Leaders are professional and dedicated to providing the best outcomes for all children. They provide a broad curriculum for everyone. Staff have a secure understanding of children's development. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress from their starting points.
• Communication and language development is a strength of the nursery. Staff hold meaningful conversations with children. As children play, staff skilfully ask questions to extend their learning. Staff foster children's interest in books. For example, they introduce children to the names of dinosaurs as they share books together. This helps to promote children's language skills.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENDCo) makes timely referrals to a range of agencies. She works collaboratively with families and professionals to implement detailed plans and interventions. Additional funding is used well to target areas where children need support. The SENDCo follows guidance and advice from professionals to ensure children's needs are met. Children with SEND are well supported.
• Overall, children show positive attitudes to learning. Staff plan a range of exciting activities for children. However, on rare occasions, the curriculum is not implemented effectively during group activities. Staff do not always sequence learning to ensure it builds upon children's prior learning. This prevents children from making connections in their learning.
• Staff promote a healthy lifestyle. The dentist is invited into the nursery to show children how to brush their teeth thoroughly. Children learn about foods that are healthy and they enjoy nutritious food at nursery. Children have daily opportunities to be physically active. This helps children learn about healthy choices.
• Staff promote diversity well. They learn key words in children's home languages to support those children who speak English as an additional language. Parents are invited into the nursery to share information about their culture with children. Children celebrate what makes each other unique. This helps children gain an understanding of people and communities that may be different to their own.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents praise the nursery for the regular updates they provide to them about children's development. Staff provide activities for parents to complete at home to support their child's communication and language development. This helps to provide continuity in children's learning.
• Children enjoy using the outside areas. They run around playing games with their friends. However, the curriculum is not always planned as well for the outdoor learning environment as it is for the inside environment. Consequently, children sometimes wander with little engagement and focus.
• Leaders use effective systems of supervisions and monitoring with staff. They identify areas where they can support staff to develop their practice further. Staff access a range of professional development opportunities. They comment on how well valued and supported they feel in their job roles.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the curriculum planning for outdoor play and experiences to provide further learning opportunities
• support staff to develop the curriculum further to ensure group activities are well-sequenced and build upon children's prior learning at all times.