Dunkys Day Nursery & Forest School Hapsford Hall

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff build strong and supportive attachments with all children and their families. Parents appreciate the culture of respect that managers have created and the genuine interest staff show in their children. These relationships help children to bond quickly with staff. Children feel secure and are motivated and keen to learn new skills. Staff expertly use children's interests to plan activities that fully immerse children in exciting learning. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make progress. The curriculum builds on the knowledge and skills that children already have and what they need to learn next. Children acquire skills they will need to thrive in the next stage of their learning.

Children are confident and hold meaningful conversations with their friends and adults. They happily approach adults and involve them in their play. Babies are curious and inquisitive. They are keen to try new activities. Babies laugh and show delight as staff engage them in a fun game of peekaboo. They eagerly take turns, showing their early knowledge of the back-and-forth nature of interactions. Children follow instructions and quickly respond to requests. They clearly understand staff's expectations of them. Staff are nurturing and supportive. They give children an abundance of praise for positive behaviour. This creates a calm and respectful atmosphere across the nursery.

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

• Staff give children's communication and language development the utmost priority. They introduce new words to babies as they play and sing a range of songs. Older children develop their vocabulary, such as when they join in with fun rhymes and stories. Staff use the correct language as they speak to children and narrate children's play. This helps children to become skilled communicators.
• The curriculum for physical development is strong. Children beam with excitement as they run and climb. Babies move confidently around the environment. They climb up a low-level climbing frame, showing determination and delight. Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their coordination, strength and dexterity ready for the next stage of their learning.
• Staff work tirelessly to give children enjoyable experiences that they may not otherwise get. The curriculum for personal and social development is designed to significantly enhance the early experiences of all children. Staff support children to grow, harvest and later cook vegetables. Older children engage in exciting cookery classes. Children prepare healthy meals, such as Caribbean chicken, that represent the cultures of children who attend. Staff help children to expertly cut up vegetables and grind spices. Children develop high levels of self-esteem and essential skills to help them flourish.
• The leadership team shows commitment to providing the highest standards in care and education. It reflects on the provision and uses innovative and robust methods to gather the views of staff, children and their parents. These views are used to plan changes to the provision. This means that all feel valued, and this contributes to exceptionally positive early experiences for children.
• Partnerships with parents are exceptionally strong. Parents receive precise information about their children's progress and a wealth of information on how they can support and extend children's learning at home. There are appropriate resources freely available to support learning at home, such as bags of play dough, reading books, recipes and ideas for activities. This approach helps to create a consistent approach to children's development.
• The provider has embedded a culture of celebrating differences. This is a golden thread throughout the setting that is reflected in the curriculum and partnership with parents. Children access an abundance of opportunities to learn about the world around them. Staff bring events to life that are special to children and their families, such as cultural festivals, through meaningful celebrations, stories and discussions. These activities provide children with the knowledge and understanding for life in modern Britain.
• Staff feel supported to complete their roles. Managers offer supervision opportunities to staff to discuss aspects of their role. Staff explain that their well-being is prioritised and their workloads are manageable. Managers complete observations of staff and children's interactions. However, there are some occasions that activities are not organised to help children to develop skills based on what they know and can do. At these times, the feedback given to staff does not precisely focus on helping staff to further enhance their practice.
• Staff plan a multitude of meaningful experiences for children to develop a respect of the differences that exist in the local community. Local walks are used to litter pick and teach children about recycling. Visits to a local nursing home are joyous occasions with fun singing sessions. Staff and children raise money and help to deliver food parcels in the local community. Children are proud that these acts make others feel happy. These experiences help children develop exemplary attitudes.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide staff with feedback and support to plan activities that always help children to learn based on what they already know and can do.