Dandelions Day Nursery And Family Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have a good start to their education at this nursery. They form strong attachments with adults and build friendships with other children. Children are safe and happy. They enjoy music classes and visits to the local area. Children become part of their local community. For example, children have taken part in local craft sessions and sang carols to local residents.

Children take part in a broad variety of activities that are planned to meet their individual needs. Children are challenged in their learning and staff have high expectations of them. They make good progress. Children behave well and follow instructions. They understand what rules they need to follow and why.

Children learn to show care and concern for living things as they find a worm and woodlouse in the soil. They develop their hand-eye coordination as they plant vegetables that they have grown on from seeds. They learn the names of different parts of plants and of the tools they use. Children develop their physical skills in the extensive outdoor areas which all children access daily. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, children leave their parents at the gate. This has helped children to settle.

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

• Staff regularly observe children and know them well. They track children's progress to identify what children need to learn next. For example, children who are beginning to walk are given access to walkers to support their development. Additional funding is used well to support children's learning. Children's knowledge and skills develop over time.
• Children develop their independence skills, such as putting on their own puddle suits and 'wellies'. However, younger children are not always encouraged to feed themselves. This means that they do not have enough practise to develop these skills before moving on to the next room in the nursery.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Staff are quick to identify children who may need support and seek advice from the nursery's special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENDCo). The setting works alongside other agencies, such as the local authority and health visitors, to help it to acquire any support that children need. Children with SEND achieve good outcomes.
• At mealtimes, children develop their communication skills as they socialise with their peers. However, toddlers become restless, and their behaviour deteriorates, as they wait too long for their meals to be served. This means their focus is taken away from enjoying an otherwise positive and interactive experience.
• Children are content in their play, on their own and collaboratively with others. For example, children develop their physical skills as they independently build towers that are taller than themselves. They are delighted as the towers come crashing down. Pre-school children create obstacle courses, carefully placing each wooden block into position after thoughtful discussion. They help each other to cross the blocks, celebrating their achievements. This supports children's positive self-esteem and helps them to develop confidence and resilience.
• Role play is used as a tool to help children develop their creativity and imagination. Staff join in with children's play as they pretend to be in a hospital. They apply bandages and children lie down to rest. Children are encouraged to expand on each other's ideas and to express their own thoughts.
• Staff attend regular training that is relevant to their role. For example, staff have learned about different approaches to learning, which they have used to develop their teaching. The manager promotes a culture of continual development at the nursery, which helps to ensure that staff practice is always improving.
• Parents are very happy with the care provided. They value conversations with their child's key person, who speaks to them each day. Parents praise the 'family feel' and 'lovely staff team'. Staff regularly communicate with parents using an online app, sharing observations and assessments of children's progress. This helps parents to understand how they can support children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop effective monitoring procedures to ensure that staff give children opportunities to practise key skills, such as feeding themselves
• consider how lunchtime routines are managed so that toddlers do not wait too long for their meals to be served.