Dragonflies Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children embrace the opportunities for learning that staff provide indoors and outdoors. They are keen to explore the nursery garden, enjoying fresh air and physical activity as they do so. With staff's close support, older babies progress from climbing the steps of a small slide to learning how to use a ladder as they tackle a larger climbing frame. Staff teach them that to stay safe, they need to take turns and not climb up the slide when their friends are about to come down. Older children practise their more advanced physical skills as they confidently balance while walking over beams that they have positioned between two crates. Staff support older children's problem-solving skills as they design and build an obstacle course with garden resources.

Children learn from staff's role modelling as they demonstrate their polite manners and kindness. For example, when they mishear a question, they ask staff to repeat what they have said by saying, 'Pardon'. At lunch, children help their friends. They follow staff's lead and share the food around the table by gently tapping the arm of their neighbour to get their attention, making sure that no one misses out. These acts of consideration and thoughtfulness help to create a friendly and positive-feeling atmosphere.

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

• The manager has worked with the staff team to create a curriculum through which children learn about the world around them and develop life skills that they will need for their further education and beyond. Staff take children on outings to explore their local community. For instance, they take children to the local shop. Children learn about using money to buy their goods. They then recall this learning through their role play back at nursery.
• Staff teach children helpful techniques to promote their independence and look after their own care needs. For example, pre-school aged children show how they can quickly put on their coats by flipping them over their heads. This means they do not need to wait for staff's help, and they can go outside to play without delay.
• To support children's emotional development, staff help them to understand their feelings. They read books to children about emotions so that children can identify with the different characters and explore how they manage their feelings in the story. This helps children to recognise and respond to their own feelings and emotions.
• The manager encourages staff to create an environment that promotes children's positive behaviour. Staff look for why children might be acting in a certain way and work to resolve any triggers. For instance, when children are struggling to share, staff provide additional resources while also supporting children to develop this skill.
• Staff ask parents to provide family photos that can be displayed in their child's room at nursery. They use the photos to spark conversations with children about their lives at home. Staff say this promotes children's communication and language development because children enjoy talking about things that are familiar to them. This practice helps to create a sense of belonging for the children.
• Staff help children learn by using techniques such as explaining, demonstrating and questioning. In the most part, staff's teaching is successful, and children are making good progress. However, occasionally, staff introduce too many new concepts to children at the same time. This can be overwhelming for children, and they struggle to secure their knowledge before additional learning is introduced. Also, sometimes, staff do not fully consider children's ages and stages of development when planning activities to support their literacy development.
• The designated safeguarding lead makes sure that she keeps up to date with what is happening in the local area. She attends network meetings and conferences to learn about new risks that children and families may be exposed to. The designated safeguarding lead shares this information with staff so that everyone who works with children can recognise the signs of possible abuse or neglect and take action to keep children safe.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to introduce new topics to children in a way that secures their prior learning before they take on additional information
• review and amend the curriculum for literacy to make sure it is planned appropriately based on children's ages and stages of development.