Earlybirds Daycare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this warm and nurturing nursery. Staff warmly welcome children as they arrive. Children are eager to start their day and explore with their friends. Those who need support receive comforting cuddles and reassurance from the kind and attentive staff. Children are happy, confident and feel safe at this nursery.

The management team has made the necessary improvements to the curriculum since the last inspection. Staff know children very well. They use ongoing assessments, observations and effective planning to support children's learning. Children benefit from a wide range of activities designed to meet their interests and next steps in learning. For example, children excitably put their hands through holes in a box and discuss together what they can feel inside. Staff use questioning to extend learning and offer praise for their achievements when they guess it right. All children make good progress from their starting points.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They role model respect and manners through their interactions with the children. Staff support children to learn about their feelings and emotions. For example, as children spend time in the newly created 'calm area', they have time to think and reflect on what is happening around them. This helps children to have high levels of self-esteem and behave well.

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

• Since the last inspection, the management team members have worked hard to reflect on the learning environment and review the delivery of the curriculum. They have implemented a robust self-evaluation process that provides a clear view of areas for development. Staff regularly contribute their thoughts and ideas. However, leaders do not yet consider the views of parents to help to identify the nursery's strengths and areas for development.
• Children's independence is promoted well. For example, staff support children to use tongs to serve themselves at mealtimes and pour their own drinks. Children are encouraged to wash their hands and put their coats and shoes on by themselves before going outside to play. Staff arrange the environment so that children can confidently choose what they want to play with and readily lead their own play. This prepares children well for their eventual move to school.
• Mathematics is firmly embedded at this nursery. Staff consistently build mathematical language into the interactions they have with the children. For example, they support children's understanding of capacity as they talk about how 'full' and 'empty' their containers of water are. Staff integrate counting opportunities into children's daily routines. This helps children to develop positive attitudes towards early mathematics.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress in their learning and development. Staff work alongside parents and external agencies to ensure that children's individual needs are being met. Staff share detailed information with the linked school settings that children move on to. This promotes their continuity in care and learning well.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. Children gather to sing songs at group time, and excitedly join in with familiar phrases and actions. Staff in the toddler and pre-school room model correct language and engage in conversations with the children. However, on occasion, interactions in the baby room are not as consistent. For instance, staff do not always extend, repeat or model language to children.
• Staff support children to learn about healthy lifestyles. Children have daily access to a well-equipped outdoor area for fresh air and exercise. Staff make good use of resources, such as climbing frames, giant tyres and ride-on toys, to support children's physical development. Healthy lifestyles are embedded into children's daily routines as they discuss their home-cooked meals and good hygiene routines.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents speak positively about the nursery and say their children are happy to attend. They value the daily conversations and photos of their children on the online app. Staff provide parents with advice about topics such as toilet training, so parents can support their children at home. The management team has plans to start stay-and-play sessions to further involve parents in their children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the self-evaluation process to include the views of parents to identify strengths and areas for development
• strengthen how staff support babies' and younger children's communication and language skills, to further develop their skills.