Dimples Riverside Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have very high expectations for all children. They provide activities and experiences that are exciting, enjoyable and challenging for children. Children consistently show high levels of enthusiasm in their learning. Babies demonstrate a love of books and show delight as staff roar like a dinosaur. They listen attentively to the very end of the story before choosing another. Staff help children to be well prepared to start school. They successfully close gaps in children's learning and ensure every child has access to a wide range of experiences. This helps to ensure every child has the best possible start in their education and no child is at a disadvantage when they move on, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Children show excitement to attend their session. Staff know them exceptionally well and use online journals to gather and share information with families. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and families have dropped children off at the reception area, where staff collect them. This has had a positive impact on children's emotional well-being and they demonstrate that they feel safe in the nursery. Staff provide stay and play sessions and host celebration days, to ensure families feel welcomed and included in their children's learning. Children's behaviour is exceptional. Toddlers share bubbles with their friends and support each other to use the wand in the mixture. Staff are always available to provide support and encouragement, but children demonstrate very high levels of resilience and determination from an early age.

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

• The management team inspires staff to be dedicated and committed to providing the highest standards of care and education for families. Staff are highly qualified and very experienced. They have access to a wide range of professional development which helps them to meet children's individual needs. For instance, they evaluate the effectiveness of their curriculum and introduce new strategies to ensure every area of learning is embedded.
• The provision for children with SEND and those with potentially disadvantaged backgrounds is exceptional. Staff use their thorough understanding of child development to quickly identify areas of delay in children's learning. They swiftly make referrals to other professionals to access support and create specific target plans. Children benefit from one-to-one time with the special educational needs coordinator. She has a detailed knowledge of every child's support plan and works closely with staff to help them support children.
• Every area of the curriculum is strong, and staff have a clear understanding of what they intend children to learn. This is consistent across the nursery and staff use core books, rhymes and strategies, such as signing, to build children's skills as they move through the nursery. Children build secure foundations for future learning and show a deeper level of understanding, particularly in their mathematical development. They are deeply engaged and engrossed in their learning.
• Staff teach children through their play and exploration indoors and outdoors. They carefully plan experiences for children to access independently and use every opportunity to maximise their learning. For example, older children draw shapes outside and have treasure hunts. Staff join in the play and ask children to help them remember how to draw a triangle. They challenge children to hide the treasure using language such as 'over and under'. Others show delight as they play fairground games and hit cans with the bean bag. Staff ask them to identify the numeral on the cans they knock over.
• Staff help children to develop writing skills from an early age. They understand the importance of focusing on their fine motor skills first. For instance, children use dough disco to build strength in their grip. Toddlers write shopping lists as they play with staff in the role play shop. Staff take imaginary calls and instruct children to add 'two carrots' to their list. They make marks on their chart to show which items float or sink and use a range of mark-making tools in the foam.
• Staff prioritise children's emotional well-being. They are excellent role models and help children to develop their personal, social and emotional skills. Children have high levels of self-esteem and show confidence in larger groups. Extra funding is used to access a musical session with a teacher. Staff support children who show shyness and they quickly join in, shaking the banana shakers and singing the songs. Staff invite teachers into the setting and share information to help children move on. In addition, staff attend school visits with children who need extra support.
• Children's good health is promoted in the nursery. Staff teach children about how to stay safe and make healthy choices. Children are provided with a toothbrush and staff hold competitions and give out prizes to promote oral hygiene. Children show high levels of independence from an early age and take an active part in their own self-care. They wash their hands and get their own water when needed. Staff carefully follow medical plans for children and are aware of allergies. This helps to keep children safe.
• Partnerships with parents and other professionals are highly effective. Parents left highly complimentary comments about their experiences in the nursery. For example, they said they have complete trust in staff and describe how their children have thrived since attending the nursery. In addition, professionals who support children in the setting were enthusiastic to leave feedback on how swiftly staff identify areas of potential delay and how well they support children with complex needs.