Discovery Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff welcome children and families as they arrive at the nursery. They ask parents for updates about the children and use this information to offer appropriate care. For example, they find out how children have been doing with potty training at home and offer to do additional reminders through the day to support them. There is an effective key-person system in place where staff work with a secondary key person for each child. Staff communicate and share children's progress and all staff know children well. This allows for continuity in children's learning and care.

The children enjoy a curriculum that focuses on building key skills for their next stages, including starting school. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and create clear rules that are consistently shared. Children respond well to prompts from staff but mostly follow the rules without the need for reminders. Staff praise children and make it clear what they are doing well in, which reinforces their positive behaviours. Children learn to recognise their emotions and to think about the emotions of others. Staff skilfully teach children to resolve conflicts for themselves. Children learn to let their friends know that they have made them sad and why. They know to say sorry if they have upset others and think of ways that they can play nicely together so everyone is happy. Children interact well and play harmoniously together.

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

• Staff regularly observe children and monitor their progress. They quickly identify gaps in children's learning and share this information with parents. Staff work with outside agencies to ensure that relevant interventions are put in place. Children benefit from this targeted approach which closes gaps and supports their progress.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to build an understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. They teach children which foods and drinks are good for our teeth and bodies. Children learn how to cook simple foods and enjoy tasting these to support their healthy eating habits. They learn how to attend to their own hygiene and toileting needs. For instance, all children learn to wash their hands.
• Staff promote children's physical development. They support children to build both large and small muscle skills and strength. For example, young babies learn to hold spoons and coordinate movements while learning to feed themselves. Older children balance and challenge themselves on obstacles courses. They build the hand strength required for writing and drawing through cutting with scissors and rubbing flour and butter together when cooking.
• Staff celebrate the cultures and languages of children who attend. For example, they say simple words and phrases to children in their home languages. Children build a positive sense of self and understand where they fit into the world. They take pride in what makes them different to others and sharing this with their friends. Other children learn to respect and enjoy learning about the events from different cultures, which prepares them well for life in modern Britain.
• Staff place a high priority on building children's communication and language skills. For example they teach babies simple signs so they are able to communicate their needs with adults. They model a variety of words for toddlers and pre-school children and use questions to allow children opportunities to practise their speaking skills. For instance, they ask children 'what do you think?' and allow them time to think before answering. Children are excited to share their ideas and explain their thoughts.
• Leaders provide staff with regular supervision sessions and feedback on their practice. However, although leaders provide training for staff, this is sometimes focused on whole setting improvements rather than improving individual staff's skills and knowledge to better meet the specific needs of the children. Also, staff are not always able to share learning from training to promote consistency in teaching across the nursery. This means not all children benefit from good-quality interactions that target what they need to learn next.
• Staff generally engage in high-quality interactions with children as they play. However, in the baby room, staff focus too heavily on following a busy routine consisting of many adult-led activities. For example, babies have to stay outside playing for the designated time even when they are not enjoying their play and try to come inside. At times, children are sat for long periods of time with minimal staff interactions and some babies become upset.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve consistency of teaching across the nursery so that all children benefit from more good quality interactions that target what they need to learn next
• develop the organisation and planning for babies so they are able to follow their own interests and remain engaged in purposeful learning at all times.