Dot's Tots Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have ensured that all staff now have a good understanding of the early years foundation stage curriculum. Staff have sufficient understanding of the way children learn and interact positively with them. All children, including those who have been identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from the curriculum offerings and make good progress in their learning.

Children separate from their parents with ease once they arrive at the setting, feeling happy to explore and learn. Staff build secure relationships with children. Children demonstrate that they feel happy and content. For example, babies have settled in well and have a good bond with staff in the room. They seek out familiar adults when they need reassurance, and staff respond to their needs attentively.

Staff support children to become familiar with the nursery routines and remind them about the expected behavioural boundaries. This has a positive impact on the way children behave. Staff have improved the organisation of resources and the learning environment to help ensure that children can access the curriculum fully. This has helped to increase children's participation and engagement in activities. For example, older children enjoy exploring forest school and learning about nature. They are excited to water plants and dig earth to find worms.

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

• Leaders and staff have taken effective steps to address actions raised at the last inspection. Leaders and staff have developed their knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures. They know how to escalate safeguarding concerns outside of the setting. Leaders have revised their induction processes to help ensure that new staff understand what their roles and responsibilities are. These changes have helped to improve safeguarding arrangements at the setting and ensure better outcomes for children.
• Staff have attended a wide range of training courses to help them improve their understanding of the curriculum aims and how to interact positively with children. For example, staff now have a clear rationale for planning activities to support children's learning and development. There is a good balance between learning through play and direct teaching to help prepare children for their next stage in learning. Having said that, on some occasions, staff do not implement their learning intent well to further build on what children already know. For example, staff failed to build on children's knowledge and understanding of living things even though this was a key learning intent of the activity.
• Staff make regular observations on children's learning to help them identify what they need to learn next. Leaders work closely with outside agencies to provide an inclusive curriculum to support children with SEND. However, staff do not consistently follow support plans from health professionals to help children with communication and language difficulties. Strategies to support children's listening and attention skills are yet to be embedded.
• Children make independent choices in their play and bring their own experiences into play. Staff join in children's play and ask questions to help keep them engaged and build on their creativity. For instance, children pretend to make soup and ice cream by mixing mud and water, and staff ask relevant questions to further extend children's play and imagination.
• Staff support children to develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles. For example, children have plenty of opportunities to engage in robust physical play and enjoy a healthy snack while at nursery. Staff encourage children to wash their hands regularly and explain the importance of doing so. This helps children to develop good personal hygiene and self-care skills.
• Staff support children's emotional well-being well. Staff working with babies use their names, encourage them to learn each other's name and narrate what is happening in the room. They enthusiastically sing nursery rhymes and encourage the babies to join in. This helps children to build secure relationships with staff and develop their emerging language.
• Partnership with parents has improved since the last inspection. Leaders and staff have improved communication with parents to help meet children's needs. Staff frequently share information about children's care and learning with parents to help keep them informed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to support all staff to understand how to implement the curiculum aims fully
• make sure support plans for children with SEND are implemented consistently to help them make better progress in their communication and language development.