Dandelion Days Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this welcoming nursery. They build strong relationships with staff and each other. Children arrive with smiles and are eager to explore the engaging activities that staff thoughtfully plan to reflect children's interests. This helps them to feel safe and secure.

Leaders and staff have high aspirations for all children. The curriculum is carefully structured throughout the nursery. Staff skilfully build on children's existing knowledge and abilities. They take into consideration their individual learning needs. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make progress in their learning.

Children are sociable and confident. Staff positively role model good behaviours. They have high expectations for children's behaviour and conduct. Children are very respectful of their friends, staff and visitors. They play well together and share resources. Children's physical development is well supported. They have regular opportunities to access the outdoor area. Staff plan a range of activities to develop children's large-muscle movements. Inside, children have opportunities to practise their fine motor skills. For example, pre-school children enjoy rolling, kneading and modelling with clay. This helps to develop their fine motor skills and supports their early writing skills in readiness for school.

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

• Staff create opportunities that capture children's imagination and curiosity. They offer children new experiences allowing them to make predictions. Staff ask children thought-provoking questions, such as, 'I wonder what will happen if?' This encourages children to think of new ideas. They are curious learners and display high levels of confidence in explaining their thoughts and ideas.
• Support for children with SEND is good. Effective partnerships with parents and other professionals involved in the children's care ensure that all children make the progress they are capable of. Individual support plans are put in place, and these are shared with parents so they can support their child's learning at home. As a result, all children make good progress from their starting points.
• Overall, staff promote children's attitude to healthy lifestyles well. Children understand the importance of regular exercise. They have weekly visits from an external dance teacher as well as daily access to the outdoors. Children are provided with a range of fresh fruits at snack time. However, staff do not consistently ensure children develop a good understanding of positive hygiene procedures. Children know to wash their hands regularly. However, staff do not always encourage children to wash their hands before mealtimes. These inconsistencies mean children do not always understand the importance of making healthy choices.
• Staff plan regular trips to the local community to build on children's experiences and support them to learn more about the world around them. For example, children enjoy trips to the local library, rhyme time sessions at the local play centres and going to the local shops. This helps them understand more about where they live.
• Children develop an understanding of daily routines as staff encourage children to help tidy up after activities. However, on occasion, transition times, such as mealtimes and when getting children ready to play outside, can become disorganised. As a result, children are left waiting for a long time without anything to do and become distracted.
• Leaders are appreciative of staff; they place a strong emphasis on their well-being. Staff benefit from regular supervision and targeted training to enhance their knowledge. For example, staff have recently implemented more sensory and physical activities to help children prepare for more focused activities. This helps to promote good outcomes for all children.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents comment that staff are kind, caring and extremely supportive. Effective communication ensures that parents are kept up to date with the progress their children make in their learning. This helps parents to support children's learning at home. Staff work very closely with parents and use additional funding effectively to support children's developmental needs. This helps all children to reach their potential.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the ways children are helped to learn about healthy living, including healthy attitudes to mealtimes and practising good hygiene
• develop routines to ensure transitions throughout the day run more smoothly so that children remain engaged.