Davey Day Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are welcomed into the nursery, when they arrive. Staff take time to speak to their parents to find out how they have been since they last attended. Staff know the children well and, overall, they implement an effective curriculum that meets children's individual needs and builds on their skills and knowledge. Staff allow children to lead their own play and explore.

Relationships between staff and children are positive. Children approach staff for cuddles and stories. Staff are attentive, caring and provide good interactions as they play with children. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities have their needs met. Staff and managers work in partnership with children's parents and other agencies to ensure children receive a consistent approach to their care and learning.

Staff actively promote children's confidence to try new experiences and challenge themselves. For example, staff provide encouragement and support to teach babies how to climb up and down the stairs. They give children time to practise and offer lots of reassurance. Pre-school children are keen to climb onto and jump from equipment. Staff supervise these activities well. They help children consider the risks and think about how they can make sure everyone stays safe.

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

• Since the last inspection, the leadership team have worked hard to make significant improvements. Ongoing discussions about safeguarding issues and procedures, as well as training, has improved staff's confidence and knowledge. Changes to the curriculum to ensure it is fully focused on individual children's learning continue to be embedded into staff practice. The manager and deputy work well together. Staff comment on the management's commitment to their well-being and say they feel valued in their role.
• The manager has devised a curriculum model for babies in which they move around and learn in different themed rooms. Staff offer a range of age-appropriate resources and activities, both indoors and outdoors. Babies benefit from an environment diverse in learning opportunities. However, staff do not always manage transitions between rooms well. Sometimes, staff are confused about the routine of the day and, occasionally, the baby unit lacks clear organisation. This leaves babies waiting and they start to become restless.
• Staff effectively support children's communication and language skills. They encourage babies to be vocal and teach babies signs to help them communicate. Babies copy staff, saying quack, quack when they look at a book and use hand actions to sign thank you. Staff help extend pre-school children's vocabulary. When children make their own play dough, they use words, such as sticky, to describe how the dough will be if they add lots of water.
• Children are motivated, curious about the activities on offer, and their behaviour is good. Staff successfully use stories and discussions to help pre-school children begin to be aware of their own feelings. Children can say how they feel, they confidently approach staff to speak to them and to ask for assistance when they need it. The time staff give to children has a positive impact on children's behaviour. They listen to staff and know they can access areas for rest and quiet activities when they need to.
• Overall, children learn to be independent. Staff encourage children to make choices about what they do in their play. Babies crawl to low-level shelving to select the books they want. Pre-school children choose which wellington boots they want to put on before playing outside. However, staff do not fully promote children's learning and independence skills during mealtimes.
• Staff work effectively with children's parents. Ongoing communication and sharing of information contribute to children's needs being met. Staff work closely with parents to find out about what children do at home and plan activities that widen children's experiences. For example, staff make the most of the rural location of the nursery and offer children activities that help them learn about nature. Staff help children write letters home and post them in the local post box. Parents are happy with the nursery. They make complimentary comments about the support they receive from staff when settling their child in and about the progress their children make at nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve how staff manage the organisation of transition times, particularly in the baby unit, to ensure children's well-being is maintained throughout the day
• help staff develop their understanding of how they can effectively support children's learning and independence at mealtimes.