Dream Days 2

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The highly engaging and sensitive ways that staff interact with children help to develop the superb and positive relationships in this welcoming nursery. Children are happy, confident and settled. They develop clear attachments to staff and show high levels of well-being. Babies giggle when staff smile at them and show them toys. Children make their way up to bed with staff at nap time and readily settle to sleep.

Children are cared for in mixed age groups, which means they learn from one another. Staff help children make choices about where they play in the nursery and ensure all children can join in alongside their friends. Children become deeply focused because the expert involvement from staff promotes their imagination and curiosity. For example, outside, staff help children make an obstacle course as they move tyres and logs to step across. Staff hold children's hands and provide reassurance to support them to challenge themselves. They celebrate together when children succeed.

Staff skilfully extend children's interests, which contributes to children's sustained concentration and fascination. Children use torches to find out about shadows and the concepts of dark and light. Through clear discussion, staff help them to think about whether the shadow gets bigger or smaller as they move the torch away from the wall. Over time, children have made things that contribute to this interest, such as painted paper cups with holes in. Children are captivated when they see the light shining through the holes and say they have made a lamp.

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

• Leaders are committed to promoting staff's well-being alongside their continued professional development. Staff are encouraged and supported to work towards qualifications and to take on specific roles. Staff feel valued as part of the small team in this inspirational nursery. They recognise the positive impact training has on their knowledge about how children learn, and in turn, this positively impacts on their excellent practice with the children.
• The nursery curriculum is thoughtfully designed. It takes account of children's needs and their interests, as well as preparing them for the next stage in their learning. Staff successfully sequence the curriculum to carefully plan opportunities to build on what children know already. They focus on giving children time to practise the skills they learn and revisit activities, which helps embed and consolidate their learning.
• Staff place a high priority on promoting children's communication and language. They are skilled in engaging children in conversations. They always have time to listen to children when they enthusiastically recall previous events from home and the nursery. Staff show genuine interest in what children are saying and their positive facial expressions and reactions result in lively discussions taking place throughout the nursery. The introduction of simple sign language significantly contributes to all children's communication skills. Staff speak and use the signs clearly to support children's understanding.
• Children are excited to be involved in all aspects of nursery life. Staff help children to decide when they want their lunch, giving them a choice of 'now' or 'in five minutes'. This contributes to smooth transition times as some children tidy away while others play games with staff and some are eating. Children know what they and the staff are having to eat, and they know that some children have specific dietary needs as they help prepare lunch and snacks. Staff expertly support children with sensitive encouragement that develops children's understanding of how they contribute to this key part of the daily routine.
• Staff follow a consistently positive approach during all their interactions with the children. They gently and clearly support children to begin to identify how they feel as they talk to them and read stories. This approach, alongside the rich experiences and resources provided, results in children being highly motivated to work together. They cooperate with friends and staff exceptionally well and are confident to make suggestions for how to play games and extend their own learning.
• Staff fully value parents' involvement. Staff keep them updated every day with feedback and photos to reassure parents and give them ideas for how they can continue their children's learning at home. Staff seek detailed information about children's specific needs and parents say they 'go over and above' to ensure these are met. Staff also work closely with other agencies who are involved with children. This highly effective partnership working promotes children's feelings of well-being and ensures there is a consistent approach for each child's care and learning.