Dreams For You Nursery And Day Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff welcome children with high energy into this inclusive nursery. Staff manage children's transitions from home to nursery well, and children are happy. Staff form caring and secure relationship with children. Children feel safe and confidently explore their environment. Staff comfort younger children and offer them reassurance and cuddles when needed. Staff understand children's individual care routines and home lives. This supports children's sense of belonging and routine further.

Staff plan themed activities, which they embed throughout the environment. For example, babies explore a sensory tray with farm animals. Toddlers explore a farm tray while listening to animal sounds and books. Older children explore how to care for farm animals, such as by pretending to be a vet. Children behave well and understand what is expected of them. Staff continuously praise children's positive behaviour and efforts. This encourages children to develop a positive 'can-do' attitude. Staff model behaviour and teach children the importance of sharing. This helps children to take turns, make friends, and have a clear understanding of the routine.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported at this setting. All children have access to a range of learning opportunities. Staff put some individual plans in place, with sensitive teaching, which supports children to be considerate of everyone's uniqueness. For example, staff embrace the cultures and language of staff and families within the setting.

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

• Children benefit from a varied activities. Staff promote all areas of learning well, and understand the individual developmental stages for key children. Therefore, all children make good progress. However, at times, staff do not consistently sequence children's learning and build on their prior knowledge, especially during group activities.
• Leaders are dedicated and passionate about ensuring that all children receive the best outcomes. They effectively support staff to extend their skills. Leaders actively encourage staff to attend training that enhances their learning and interactions with children. For example, some staff are completing higher qualifications to understand child development further and how to implement this into the nursery. This helps to support staff's knowledge and enhance experiences for children.
• Leaders are involved in the everyday care for children. This helps them to build relationships with children and support staff in how they can help their key children further. Leaders monitor staff's practice and welfare rigorously. Staff benefit from supervision sessions and peer-on-peer observations to ensure that they reflect on practice and how they can support children individually.
• Children develop their physical skills well. They access the garden, which has a range of equipment, such as a climbing frame, pretend ice-cream stall, and musical equipment. Staff encourage children's physical movement within the older children's room. For example, they plan music and movement and yoga sessions. However, leaders and staff have not considered how to strengthen the experiences and learning for all children outdoors, especially those children who benefit from learning outside.
• Parents speak highly of the setting, especially in regard to how settled and happy their children are. They receive regular updates about their children. Staff share newsletters about upcoming events, and activities that have been happening in the setting. Leaders invite parents to different events. They work with the community to find out about any events that parents may be interested in or may need extra support with, such as a short first-aid course.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well, including those children who speak English as an additional language. During play, staff skilfully question children to extend their vocabulary, and repeat words to build on their knowledge. For example, when older children explore hygiene with messy animals, staff introduce new vocabulary and extend children's conversations by modelling language, such as counting their legs.
• Children with SEND, or children who may need extra support, have individualised learning plans. This supports staff to close any gaps in children's learning. Staff work alongside other agencies to support staff and families to apply different strategies to support individual children. This allows high levels of continuity of care for all children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop their teaching strategies to consistently challenge and extend children's learning, especially during group activities
• strengthen experiences to provide further learning opportunities for all children in the outdoor environment.