Dawn to Dusk Day Nursery (Maidstone) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have positive attitudes and are eager to learn and explore. For example, babies enjoy the opportunity to try and pour their own drinks, with support, at a pretend tea party. Toddlers like to roll balls and mark make using brushes. Older children busily create crowns and show their skills using scissors and glue to make individual pieces. Staff use these opportunities well to have discussions with children about their own safety.

All children settle well and staff are close by for support and comfort if needed. Staff want the best for children. Children are confident and self-assured. Staff encourage them to begin to solve problems for themselves. Older children are beginning to develop their independence skills. For example, staff guide them to learn how to cut up their own lunch. Children use the garden daily and have the opportunity to spend time with others from different rooms. Toddlers happily explore the sandpit, ride bikes and role play on the pirate ship.

The managers adapted aspects of the how the setting runs, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to support everyone's safety. They continue to have some safety measures in place, such as cleaning routines and at the door drop offs.

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

• The management team support staff well within their role. They have faced significant staffing challenges to maintain a qualified team. Staff said that they feel supported and that the management team have an open-door policy for help and guidance. The managers use a range of methods to support staff to develop their skills. For example, they have one-to-one meetings, staff meetings and focus on specific plans to ensure all staff have a secure knowledge.
• Staff have a good overview of children's development and share this with parents. Staff identify where children need additional support and put appropriate plans in place. They work well with other agencies and seek additional specialist support. As as a result, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress.
• Older children enjoy learning about how to keep their teeth healthy. For example, they colour in pretend teeth and use a toothbrush and toothpaste to clean the teeth. They learn a range of new language, such as 'plaque', and what 'oral health' means. They ask questions and explain what they are doing. This helps them to be prepared for their move on to school.
• Staff have good relationships with parents. Staff have a detailed knowledge of children's home lives and routines. For example, they know about babies' home sleep and feeding routines and have ongoing discussions about how these might change at the setting. For toddlers and older children, staff know about their interests and what they have been doing in their time away from the nursery. As a result, staff are knowledgeable about the individual needs of each child.
• The managers and staff have clear aims of what they want children to achieve in each room. Generally, these are implemented well. However, at times, some of the good practice observed for older children to support children's communication and language is not as consistent for younger children.
• Children enjoy a range of learning opportunities at nursery. They like to play with their friends and involve staff in their play. For example, they are keen to show off their drawings. However, at times, changes of routine mean that toddlers have long periods of waiting and they get bored and wander off.
• Leaders have clear curriculum aims which show in children's learning and development. For example, parents know about recent themes, such as 'people who help us'. At home, they talk about the police and are able to identify their vehicles. Leaders are also aware of the potential impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have on children's development. They carefully observe children to assess if any additional support needs to be put in place.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop ways of providing greater support for younger children's communication and language to ensure that teaching is consistent throughout the nursery
• review and take action to support younger children with transitions through the day to ensure that wait times are minimised to help them further engage in learning.