Dee's Day Nursery (wim)Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children of mixed ages keenly arrive and enjoy a healthy breakfast together. Older children enthusiastically show visitors how to register their arrival. They proudly say, 'This is my name'. Key staff provide very young children with lots of cuddles to help them settle. Children are emotionally secure and show that they feel safe. Children benefit from plenty of fresh air and physical exercise. They eagerly engage in activities and the opportunities provided outdoors. For example, children enthusiastically ride bicycles and tricycles, and keenly kick balls. This helps to test out children's physical skills and abilities well.

Children demonstrate positive behaviour. They follow rules, help to tidy away and keenly share toys and resources. Staff are good role models and, for example, encourage children to use good manners. Staff are caring and sensitive in their approach. Children learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, young children learn how to move up and down stairs safely. Staff consistently supervise children to help to maintain their safety.

Children are exposed to a range of festivals and celebrations, such as Diwali and Chinese New Year. Children enjoy outings to the local community and local theatre, to help to promote a positive sense of self within their community. Parents comment positively on children's experiences that help them develop an understanding and appreciation of diversity and what makes them unique.

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

• Overall, staff facilitate children's learning well by introducing, for example, new words and mathematical concepts. Children enjoy mixing paint and keenly talk about the changing colours. They confidently use new words, such as 'experiment' and 'prime colours'. Nevertheless, children do not always have opportunities to initiate their own learning, particularly in the pre-school room.
• Staff successfully promote children's independence and confidence, overall. For example, older children make good attempts to put on their coats and fasten buttons and zips before they go outdoors. Staff consistently praise children for their efforts, which helps promote their sense of achievement and confidence.
• The curriculum for communication and language development and mathematical skills is promoted to a good level. For example, staff use new words, such as 'scrunchy' and 'crunchy', as they describe the textures of leaves, to help to extend children's vocabulary. Staff encourage children to count coloured pom-poms and use mathematical language alongside children's play. Children show a positive attitude to their learning.
• Key staff build very positive relationships with their key children from when they first start. Personal, social and emotional development is at the heart of the curriculum for the youngest and newest children, to help them to settle quickly and feel emotionally secure.
• Staff gain in-depth information from parents during settling-in sessions to ensure that the individual needs of children are carefully considered. For example, staff find out about children's care routines and what they know and can do for a consistent approach, and help to design a curriculum to meet children's individual needs.
• Parents comment very positively on the care their children receive and the progress their children make over time. They welcome the parent meetings, newsletters and daily communication that the setting provides, to help to further promote positive partnerships.
• The new manager has a clear and ambitious vision for high-quality care and education. The new staff team work very well together and share the ambitious views of the manager and leadership team.
• Leaders successfully follow safe recruitment and induction procedures to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Staff welcome meetings to help to identify their strengths and where areas can improve.
• Leaders recognise the importance of continuous professional development to help to raise the quality of education to an even higher level. Following recent training, staff say that they have improved their storytelling skills. For instance, they say that they now bring stories alive with props and puppets, to help to enthuse children during story time.
• The manager understands the importance of working in partnership with external agencies, such as the early years team and the Merton safeguarding children's partnership. This helps to ensure that all children's welfare and safety is promoted well.
• Children enjoy the stories read to them as it helps to develop a love of books and early reading skills. However, children do not have many opportunities to independently choose books for themselves, particularly in the pre-school and toddler rooms.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities for children to initiate their own learning through play, particularly in the pre-school room
• create more opportunities for children to further develop a love of books and early reading, particularly in the pre-school room and toddler room.