Echoes Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident, safe and well behaved at this setting. They approach visitors with glee. Older children create colourful badges and present them to the inspector as a welcome gift. Babies coo and wave at each other while they contentedly rest in the arms of their key persons. Toddlers show high levels of engagement as they explore different textures and mix paints together to create new colours. Staff support children well. This is evident as children independently and securely explore their surroundings and return to familiar adults when they need support.

The manager has adapted some aspects of the daily routine in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. For instance, parents no longer enter the setting. Children have adapted very well to this. For example, babies settle extremely well into the setting. They build strong, warm bonds with their key person despite having been isolated from social activities during the national lockdown. Older children contribute to the curriculum. They suggest ways in which they can experience new things while outings are not possible. For example, children have adopted a cow from a local farm. They name the cow, write her letters and delight over her changing appearance as she grows.

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

• The manager is extremely passionate about supporting her staff team. She effectively manages staff workloads and has designed a unique program to monitor staff well-being. She uses this to evaluate and improve upon staff practice, as well as providing tailored emotional support to anyone who needs it. Staff really appreciate this and report that they feel 'incredibly supported' within their roles.
• Parents hold the nursery in very high esteem. They appreciate the guidance offered by the manager and her staff team. Parents report that they are very well supported and find communication to be one of the main strengths of the nursery. Above all, they state that they feel completely reassured that their children are safe and happy here.
• The manager and staff team deliver a thoughtful, targeted curriculum to all children. Children are, generally, engaged and excited to learn. Babies delight as staff members sprinkle sand over their bare toes. They look up in surprise with wide smiles, enjoying the sensation. Toddlers listen to stories with keen interest. They marvel at the pictures in books and lean in to look at the words on the pages. Pre-school children show wonderful imaginative skills as they create magical potions to help 'free the fairies from the dragons'. Children make good progress and genuinely enjoy these varied learning experiences.
• Children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning journeys.
• Younger children develop self-care and independence skills in anticipation of moving up within the nursery. Pre-school children show impressive early literacy and mathematical skills. They begin to make recognisable marks when drawing and writing. They confidently count out loud and use simple mathematical language in their play. These skills are beneficial for children who are preparing to move to primary school.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who receive additional funding make good progress. The manager closely monitors any children who require extra support and implements individual learning strategies where needed. As a result, any gaps in children's development begin to close rapidly.
• Some staff support children's communication and language development well. Younger children listen attentively when staff introduce key words during painting activities. Older children recount stories independently and proudly share new language they have learned, such as 'protein'. However, some staff do not use effective questioning techniques when speaking with children. At times, children are overwhelmed when staff ask several questions in quick succession. As a result, children fail to respond or offer one word responses. This is not supportive of children's critical thinking skills.
• Staff do not always acknowledge when children are struggling to manage their emotions. At times, staff respond to children's outbursts with distraction techniques. This often successfully encourages children to return to their play. However, children are not always given the opportunity to express why they are feeling sad or angry, or seek a resolution. This does not support children in beginning to understand and manage their own emotions.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to use consistent and effective questioning techniques in order to further extend children's communication, language and critical thinking skills
• encourage staff to give clear and consistent messages to children when supporting them with moments of frustration or upset, in order to further help children begin to understand and manage their own emotions.