Early Days Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and enjoy the time they spend at the nursery. Staff are incredibly nurturing and committed to forming strong bonds with children and families. This helps children to feel safe and secure in the environment. Children have adapted well to the changes made due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They understand that their parents no longer come into the nursery. This does not stop children from entering eagerly and being excited to play. Children behave well. They have learned to share, to take turns and to be kind to their friends. Staff instil a culture of respect and considerate behaviour.

Children are excellent communicators. Older children hold lengthy conversations about their home life, hobbies and the things they enjoy at nursery. They can confidently express their views and opinions and make informed choices. Children play harmoniously together in the role play area. They discuss how to make different foods and drinks and the importance of blowing a 'hot' cake to cool it down. Staff support younger children's emerging speaking skills well. They introduce a range of single words, such as 'train', 'cold' and 'feathers'. Staff encourage babies to babble along to action rhymes and copy words they are familiar with.

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

• Children access a curriculum that is interesting and specific to their individual needs. Managers understand the importance of sequencing the curriculum to ensure all children develop the skills they need for future learning. Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well embedded. Staff have a good understanding of child development. They are able to swiftly identify and to address any gaps in learning. This means all children, including those with SEND, make good progress.
• Overall, staff promote children's literacy development well. Children have access to a wealth of books, and staff read with great enthusiasm. Children discuss different aspects of the story and are eager to share their own thoughts and opinions. However, large-group times, such as story time and phonics sessions, are not organised effectively. Group sizes are too large. Therefore, children wait a long time for their turn to participate. This means some children become bored and distracted, which hinders their learning experience.
• Staff teach children about similarities and differences between themselves and others. Children are keen to learn about different cultures, beliefs and festivals. They explore a variety of international cuisine. For example, the nursery chef provides 'feasts' from different countries, such as Mexico. Staff talk to children about how they can eat some foods using their fingers. Children are quickly learning about the world they live in and preparing for life in modern Britain.
• Staff support children to develop good physical skills. Children exercise their large muscles as they confidently learn to climb, to run and to balance in the outdoor area. They have regular visits to the local forest school and take part in tennis lessons. Staff help children to strengthen their small finger muscles using dough and mark-making equipment. This prepares children for early writing and the next stage in their learning.
• The key-person system is well embedded, particularly in the baby room. Babies benefit greatly from the calm and sensitive interactions they receive. Staff are skilled, and they get to know babies' individual needs very quickly. As a consequence, new babies are incredibly settled, and they have formed strong attachments with their key person.
• Managers are knowledgeable and dedicated. They have a clear vision for the nursery and understand the importance of quality care. Staff report feeling happy and supported within their roles. Managers provide some feedback for staff to help them to improve their practice. However, feedback is not always specific enough to help individual staff improve their skills and knowledge further. Consequently, there are some variations in the quality of education across the nursery. For instance, not all staff have clear intentions for activities and do not consider what children need to learn next. This means, on some occasions, most-able children are not fully challenged.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine the organisation of large-group activities to ensure all children are able to take part and to remain fully engaged
• provide staff with more sharply focused feedback to help them to improve their skills and knowledge even further.