Edwalton Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Babies are supported by staff to develop their physical skills. For example, staff provide babies with time to spend on their tummies to help strengthen their core muscles. Older children have opportunities to think and respond to questions that staff ask them, encouraging their thinking skills. Children who speak English as an additional language, listen to songs in the languages they hear at home. This contributes to them having a sense of belonging in the nursery. Children show a keen interest in books. Babies copy staff to feel different textures in age-appropriate books, helping to develop their senses. Older children confidently share their knowledge of books with staff. They explain to staff where the front, back and spine of a book is. When staff ask children where their spine is, children point to their back and tell staff, 'It keeps our bodies together.'

Children behave well. They understand staff's expectations for their behaviour. For instance, older children tell visitors that they know to be gentle, kind to their friends and to listen. Furthermore, when staff take children into woodland, they ask children to remember rules that help to promote their own safety and protect the environment. Older children tell staff that they do not go near the stinging nettles and that they do not pull bark off the trees because it is the trees' skin.

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

• The management team and staff implement their curriculum to help children learn skills for their future. This includes promoting children's independence. Younger children serve their meals and pour their own drinks. Children have access to 'snuffle stations' where they can look in mirrors when they use tissues to wipe their noses.
• Overall, staff are supported with their practice and well-being effectively. Staff build on their professional development. For example, they attend training courses to help them support younger children's behaviour. This includes showing children a timer, as a visual prompt, to let them know how long they have to tidy away toys.
• Staff help children to learn about the benefits of eating healthy food. Children learn that red foods are good for their heart and yellow foods are good for their brain. Staff meet children's dietary and medical needs well. This helps to promote children's good health.
• Children are supported to understand the routines in the day. For example, staff ask older children to hold their peer's hand and walk with them into the woodland area. Children listen and follow instructions. However, during personal self-care routines, staff do not always provide privacy for children, such as when younger children begin using the potty and when older children are supported by staff to change their clothing.
• Staff develop strong partnerships with parents. Information about children's daily activities and how staff intend to support children's learning is shared with parents, such as through discussions and parents' meetings. Staff invite parents into the nursery to take part in workshops to help develop their knowledge of how to support their children's care and learning, such as weaning with babies. This partnership working helps to provide a united approach to supporting children's development.
• Staff know their key children well, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff observe and assess children to identify what they need to learn next. However, this information is not always shared fully across the staff team. At times, during children's self-chosen play, support and lunchtime staff do not recognise how best to help some children with their learning. Therefore, sometimes, children do not make the progress they are capable of.
• Children with SEND are supported well. Other professionals are invited into the nursery to meet children's needs. Targeted support plans are regularly reviewed to identify how staff can support children's development. Additional funding that some children receive is spent effectively. For example, this includes providing one-to-one support from staff and purchasing additional equipment to meet their individual needs.
• Children are keen to join activities staff plan for them. However, sometimes during some of these activities, staff do not implement the learning intent effectively. Therefore, children are not able to build on their learning. For instance, when staff want younger children to develop their speaking skills, they do not capture children's interest, resulting in them not taking part.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the sharing of information between children's key persons and other staff so that children's learning is further supported during their play
• support staff to provide children with privacy during personal self-care routines, such as toileting and changing clothing
• help staff to implement the learning intent of planned activities more effectively to help build on children's learning.