East Leake Village Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, parents are invited to stay with their children for at least their first settling-in session prior to them starting. This enables children to see their parents holding conversations with staff and feeling comfortable in the nursery. This results in helping children to feel safe and secure. Children in the baby room are encouraged to keep trying and to persevere at activities. For example, when they try to complete inset puzzles and struggle to make pieces fit, staff say, 'Keep trying.' Children in the pre-school room are praised by staff for sharing, such as when they pass watering cans to their peers in the garden. This helps to raise their self-esteem.

Children are supported to develop their physical skills. For example, in the baby room, when children want to access a low-level bridge, staff hold onto their hands to support their balance when they show an interest to begin to walk. When children in the toddler room want to walk across wooden beams, they look to staff for support, such as to hold their hand to help promote their safety and confidence. Staff plan activities that allow children to follow their interests. For example, in the pre-school room, children develop their knowledge of space. They show their imagination when they make pretend rockets from boxes and plastic bottles and zoom them into the air to see which one goes the furthest.

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

• The manager supports staff's professional development. This includes providing in-house training to build on staff's understanding of how to develop children's communication and language skills. Staff learn how to use sign language in the baby room to support children's understanding of words, such as 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff develop their knowledge of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This includes helping them to build on their understanding of sounds to promote their speaking skills.
• Staff help children to be emotionally ready for changes in their lives. For example, staff talk to them about their feelings and emotions in preparation for their move to school. Staff help children to understand what will happen when they move on.
• In the pre-school room, staff implement a curriculum to support children's independence. For example, they provide opportunities for children to make their own pizzas. However, occasionally, staff in the toddler room do not fully consider how to implement their intended curriculum, such as to support children's behaviour. For example, the strategies they use to encourage children to listen to instructions when the routine of the day changes are not effective.
• Staff provide children with opportunities to join in weekly baking activities. This provides children in the baby room with opportunities to feel the textures of different ingredients, supporting their sensory development. Staff take pre-school children to local shops to buy ingredients and help them understand the process of how food is made.
• The manager invites staff to write positive comments about their colleagues' interactions with children. These are shared at staff meetings to celebrate their achievements. This contributes to supporting staff's well-being.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are supported to develop their language skills and sense of belonging in the nursery. For example, staff work with parents to provide children with a booklet that shows photos of family members, animals and objects of interest. Staff ask parents to record words that explain the photos in English and their home language, and they share these voice recordings with children.
• Staff share information with parents about their children's care routines and learning. This helps parents to keep informed about their children's progress during the day. Parents say that staff are lovely and friendly. They comment on how much progress their children make with their speaking skills.
• The manager reflects on what children are offered and makes changes to improve the experiences they receive. For example, changes to the garden offer children opportunities to explore, create sounds and learn about wildlife.
• The manager and staff provide a safe environment for children to play. For example, when children move downstairs, staff stand at the front, middle and bottom of the stairs as children use the low-level handrail to move down.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to strengthen the implementation of the curriculum to support children's behaviour in the toddler room.