Elmdon Day Nursery (UK) Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The manager and staff create a happy and positive environment for children. They engage children in activities and build strong bonds with them through positive interactions. Staff use facial expressions, eye contact and positive hand gestures. For example, babies giggle as they sit with staff who sing nursery rhymes and pull silly faces. Staff give children lots of praise to support children's self-esteem. During activities, children hold up their achievements with pride. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and attitudes. Children are friendly and show kindness towards each other. During activities, they share equipment, take turns and say 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff ask questions that arouse children's interest. As a result, children enjoy answering staff's questions and show enthusiasm when sharing information about their home life.

Staff organise the outdoor area so that it offers children seamless learning opportunities from the indoors. For example, inside, children learn about the 'The Three Little Pigs'. Staff use information from the story to extend children's learning as they help them build houses in the outdoor area with various materials. Staff provide fresh vegetables in the mud kitchen where children make 'porridge'. Staff promote children's understanding of size and measure as they make small and large bowls of porridge for Goldilocks.

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

• The manager has a clear intent for children's learning. The strong, ambitious curriculum means activities are planned to help children make further progress. Observations gathered by staff help to identify children's starting points and next steps. This helps children to make good progress in all areas of learning. Staff are given the opportunity to identify areas for improvement of their own practice during regular supervisions. Training for staff, such as sign language, first aid and food hygiene, helps to keep their knowledge updated and to maintain high standards of care for children.
• Children's engagement is high in the pre-school room. Interesting topics are introduced such as sea pollution. Children rescue animals wrapped in string, while staff add new vocabulary into their play, such as 'float' and 'sink'. Children in the baby room practise their hand-eye coordination and build muscle strength when playing in the sand tray. However, older babies, who are ready to transition to the toddler room, sometimes become disinterested and restless because activities are not challenging enough to keep them engaged. As a result, these children are not receiving focused learning opportunities to help them make the best possible progress.
• Children's language and communication skills are well supported. Staff add new words into children's play during small-group activities to help extend their vocabulary. However, not all children join in because the organisation of group activities is not structured well enough to retain their attention. As a result, these children miss important learning opportunities which would help them to make more progress.
• Children are well prepared for school. They practise their fine motor skills to support their progression into handwriting. Information booklets are shown to children about their school before their transition. This helps to prepare children for change and builds their confidence in new and unfamiliar situations. Information about children is shared with schools to give teachers opportunities to prepare for children's individual likes, dislikes and learning stages.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive tailored support to promote their learning and development. Meetings between key workers, parents and outside professionals help children receive a concise and consistent approach to their ongoing learning. Children learn about emotions and how to manage their feelings. As a result, children with SEND make the best possible progress they are capable of.
• Parents are extremely happy with the care and support their children receive. They give particular praise to the ongoing support that children with SEND receive. Parents make positive comments about the staff and describe them as 'warm' and 'friendly'. Parents receive daily updates about what activities their children have been doing. As a result, parents feel reassured and confident that their children are happy.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• look at how planned activities are organised so that all children are able to participate and become fully engaged
• consider the needs of older babies who require extra stimulation and challenge to ensure they access learning opportunities that help them to make even more progress.