Daisy Chain Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they feel safe and secure in this welcoming nursery. When children play, they happily sing songs about rain when they let grains of rice fall through their fingers. Children demonstrate strong relationships with staff. They like to involve them in their play and confidently talk to them about what they are doing.

Staff offer children a well-resourced environment where they are constantly engaged. Outdoors, children remember favourite stories. They take turns with their friends to use puppets to tell a story about goats and a troll. Children repeat familiar phrases in the story, such as 'Who is crossing my bridge?'. Staff support children to develop their understanding of numbers, counting and language that describes size. For example, they talk to children about the numbers they see on a tape measure. When children build a tower using objects, staff ask them if it will be bigger or smaller when they add other pieces to the top. Children count the number of objects in a tower, counting again when one more is added. They show determination and perseverance when they build and construct. Children have a positive attitude to learning.

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

• The manager and the acting manager are passionate about providing high-quality care and learning for children. They constantly evaluate the nursery and make changes that have a positive impact on children's experiences. For example, a slope has been added outdoors to encourage children to climb and develop strength in their bodies.
• Staff observe and assess children's learning. They implement a curriculum that helps children to learn key skills for future success. For example, staff take children on outings away from the nursery to places such as woodland. This is because they recognised that during the COVID-19 pandemic, some children did not have opportunities to visit these places. Staff recognise that this helps some children to develop their confidence in different situations.
• Staff know the children very well. However, not all staff are successful in helping them to build further on what they already know. For example, when children play with toy doctors equipment, staff fail to support them to understand the name of some of the equipment and how to use it properly.
• The manager supports staff through supervision meetings. Staff reflect on their practice, well-being and how they support children's development. They attend relevant training to extend their knowledge of how to help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff support children to manage their behaviour. They identify ways to encourage children to communicate their needs.
• Staff work very closely with parents to support children's development. For example, they regularly speak to parents about children's achievements. Staff encourage parents to talk to children about their experiences in the nursery. They give parents suggestions about how they can support their children's speaking skills.
• Parents are invited into the nursery for special events, such as a 'pamper someone special' day. Children are excited to welcome family members into the nursery. They brush family members' hair, paint their finger nails and massage their hands. This helps children to make connections between home and the nursery, and complements the good partnership working that is already in place.
• Staff encourage children to be independent. For example, during meal and snack times, staff ask children to use knives safely to spread butter on their cracker. Children open food packaging and peel bananas by themselves.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to learn how they can keep themselves safe and to manage risks. For example, they talk to children about internet safety. When children climb on crates, they ask them how they can safely get on and off the apparatus. Staff give children plenty of time to think about how they can do this safely. When they achieve this, staff give children praise. This helps to raise their self-esteem and confidence.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to consistently extend and build further on children's learning.