Dicky Birds Pre School Nurseries Ltd - Surbiton 62

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at the nursery and are happy and confident. Staff are caring and nurturing, and new children and babies settle quickly and form strong emotional attachments with their key person. They seek them out when needing comfort and demonstrate that they feel emotionally secure.

Staff know the children well and confidently talk about what children enjoy doing and what they need to learn next. They have an ambitious curriculum in place, and children are motivated and excited to explore activities. They eagerly sing songs at group times, and older children develop good early literacy skills as they look at different letters and look for words that begin with the matching sound. Children in the baby room enjoy a wide range of rich sensory experiences that enthuse them to learn. For example, babies become absorbed in investigating foam they can mould into different shapes with their hands, and they explore a wide range of real life and natural resources.

Staff act as good role models for children and provide a respectful and calm environment. This is reflected in children's behaviour and attitudes, which are very good. Older children listen well when it is tidy-up time and follow their 'golden rules'. They are encouraged to talk about their feelings and how best to manage them. Younger children are learning to share and take turns with their toys.

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

• The manager and staff team are dedicated to providing the best possible care and education for all children. Staff plan a rich and varied curriculum, which reflects children's individual interests. Children benefit from the highly stimulating environments, both indoors and outdoors. As a result, all children are making good progress from their starting points.
• The manager and staff have very good relationships with parents, who praise the nursery highly. A wealth of information is shared by the staff team about children's care and learning. For example, online learning files and regular parent events, such as tea mornings and parent meetings, support parents to contribute at home to what their children are learning.
• The manager carries out regular peer observations and staff supervision sessions, providing staff with some coaching to improve their practice and personal effectiveness. As a result, teaching has improved. Staff use their recent training of effective teaching and learning to further provide better outcomes for children.
• Great emphasis is placed on children's physical well-being. Older children enjoy weekly forest school sessions, and all children take part in sports sessions and daily walks into the local community. Healthy and nutritious meals are provided, and children are encouraged to develop their independence. For instance, babies begin to feed themselves, and older children serve their own snacks and meals.
• The committed manager works well with staff to evaluate the effectiveness of the nursery. They have regular meetings, and the manager collects feedback to identify areas for improvement. For instance, they have recently started using an online tool for parents to access children's learning at home. As a result, parents feel better informed and up to date with their children's learning.
• Staff are skilled at providing teaching that builds on what children already know and can do. They provide activities that follow children's interests and incorporate what they need to learn next. Staff engage and motivate children to learn. For example, they enthusiastically talk to children about what animals they are making with clay, describing the different features and supporting children's vocabulary. However, at times, staff do not encourage children to solve their own problems or challenge them to extend their learning further.
• Children enjoy the time they spend at nursery and show a keen interest in their chosen activities. However, occasionally, the organisation of times between activities hinders potential learning opportunities, resulting in children losing interest or becoming unsettled.
• The manager values her staff team, and their well-being is very important to her. All staff say they feel well supported and valued in their role. A variety of services are provided for staff to use to support them, both within and outside of the nursery.
• Children enjoy being imaginative. Younger children use doctors' kits as they care and show concern for dolls and each other. Older children delight in exploring their travel agent role-play area. They talk about their different holidays and act out what happens at the airport.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's knowledge of how to support children to solve problems by themselves and challenge their thinking skills further
• review the organisation of some routines in order to maximise children's learning opportunities and their engagement and participation levels.