EarlyBirds Day Nursery Woodville

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children individually on arrival. They offer smiles and cuddles and express how happy they are to see them. Staff provide a robust key-person system, which means that all staff understand each child's needs. They create a bespoke settling-in process when children start at the nursery. Children's happiness is prioritised. Transitions through the nursery rooms, and for starting school, are carefully planned. For example, children regularly visit the local school for library time and become familiar with the teachers in the Reception class and key staff, such as the headteacher. Children feel secure and their emotional well-being is supported. New babies settle quickly and build strong attachments with the caring staff.

Children benefit from a highly varied and targeted curriculum that is based on their individual learning needs and interests. All children progress and thrive in this nurturing nursery. Staff focus on building children's confidence and independence. For example, they put resources at children's level so they can select their own activities. Babies learn key social skills and develop confidence to choose their own toys. Older children communicate their needs and do things for themselves. For instance, toddlers select their own snack, carrying the plate to the table and pouring their own milk from jugs.

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

• The provider and staff have put an effective planning and assessment system in place. Staff regularly observe children and provide relevant next steps in learning and development. They work closely with parents, other settings that children attend and professionals, such as health visitors, to support progress. For example, they work with children's key person in other settings to provide appropriate learning opportunities.
• Staff teach children the rules of the nursery and share the behaviours they expect. For instance, they explain the rules of circle time to older children and remind them of these throughout the activity. They teach younger children to take turns and use 'kind hands'. Children play cooperatively and show kindness. For example, pre-school children find spiders and run to tell their friend who likes spiders as it will 'make them happy'.
• Staff receive support, relevant training and models of good practice. For example, they visit the sister setting to observe the teaching and learning of other, more-experienced staff. Staff report that they benefit from regular supervisions and feedback that has raised the standard of their practice and the quality of their interactions with children.
• Staff model mathematical skills well. For instance, they talk about 'big' and 'small' spades, and describe the capacity of buckets as 'empty' and 'full' when playing in the sandpit alongside children. Babies independently sing songs with numbers and count to three before going down slides. Older children are excited to show staff how many animals they have and counted, and how they counted them accurately.
• Staff effectively support children's communication and language skills. They ask children questions during their play and pitch their conversations at an appropriate level to support progress and allow all children to join in meaningful interactions. They support children to use picture cards so that the youngest children can share their feelings and what they want to do next.
• The provider and staff are ambitious and keen to provide the best possible care for children. They evaluate and identify improvements. For instance, they have provided separate areas for the babies indoors and outdoors. This allows staff to better support babies to build their confidence and physical skills, while older children have the opportunity to take part in play that provides higher levels of challenge. However, staff do not consistently promote children's healthy food and drink choices. For instance, they teach children about foods and drinks that are not healthy during an 'All About Me' topic, but offer juice when refilling children's drink bottles. Also, staff do not use the opportunity at lunchtimes to discuss healthy foods that children have that day.
• Staff have worked hard to build positive relationships with parents. They provide detailed information to parents through individual communication books and daily conversations at drop-off and pick-up times. Children benefit from the continuity of care. However, staff do not work with parents as much as they could to support their child's oral health and healthy food choices. For instance, they do not help them to understand the impact of children using dummies for long periods on the growth of their teeth, or work with parents so that children benefit from healthy foods that give them the energy and nutrition they need.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with clear and consistent guidance about which foods and drinks are good for us, to develop their understanding and ability to make healthy choices
• engage parents more effectively in supporting their child's oral and dietary health.