Eveline Day Nursery Schools Limited (The)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The highly qualified and experienced staff team provides an exceptionally stimulating and welcoming environment in which children's happiness and development are paramount. The key-person system is incredibly successful in ensuring that children build secure attachments with staff to promote their well-being. Children demonstrate that they feel very safe and secure and thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery.

The manager and staff know the children extremely well and skilfully support children's learning through carefully planned activities. For example, young children delight in exploring shaving foam as they learn about different textures and begin to mix colours. Older children are encouraged to problem solve during art activities as they explore a range of materials and try out different methods to stick them together. Throughout the activities, staff demonstrate excellent teaching skills and support children's early communication skills effectively. For instance, staff describe to young children what they are doing and repeat key words slowly. Staff ask older children questions to extend their thinking skills and give them plenty of time to share their own ideas.

Staff are excellent role models and treat the children with the highest level of respect. They teach children from an early age about feelings, emotions and how to express themselves. Children confidently register themselves, placing their name on a colour to represent how they are feeling that day, and they learn how to self-regulate their behaviour.

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

• The manager has designed an ambitious and meaningful curriculum for the children, which is highly effective and reflects that each child is unique. The highly committed staff team knows the children incredibly well and understands how children learn. Staff quickly identify any gaps in children's learning and take steps to help children catch up. Children are helped to rapidly make connections in their thinking and understanding, and this supports all children to make excellent progress. They are wonderfully prepared for the next stage in their learning.
• Staff use their excellent expertise in supporting children, including those who speak English as an additional language. For example, the nursery celebrates children's home languages and encourages others to learn them. When children arrive, they are greeted in their home language by both staff and children.
• The inspirational manager goes above and beyond to provide support for parents. Regular meetings, transition events and home learning ideas involve parents in their children's learning. Parents comment on how knowledgeable and supportive the manager and staff are. They consider their children's lives to have been greatly enriched because of their attendance at the nursery.
• Staff feel valued and well supported by the manager. Their well-being is key, and staff retention is very high. The manager knows the staff well and provides effective coaching and training to meet the needs of the children who attend. For example, staff have recently taken part in training to develop their understanding of how children learn in different areas.
• The manager and staff continuously reflect on their practice. They are passionate about looking at what works well and what could be improved to benefit the children and their families. For example, they have plans to develop the pre-school room further to give the children more space to explore.
• Staff support children very well to develop their independence skills. From a young age, children are encouraged to wash their hands before mealtimes and to dress themselves before going outside. During mealtimes, older children confidently set the table and help each other to manage their tasks.
• Staff are incredibly nurturing and kind to the children, particularly in the baby room. They know them really well and quickly identify and adapt to their needs. Children are extremely confident and have an incredibly positive attitude towards learning.
• Children develop an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles. For example, they take part in regular physical activities, such as outings to the local community, yoga and mindfulness sessions, and sports sessions. Staff encourage children to think about the food they are eating and the effect it has on their bodies. For instance, during snack time, children confidently compare the sugars in fruit and chocolate and discuss which ones are good for them.
• Children enjoy a wide range of experiences to promote their early literacy skills. For example, young children enjoy listening to highly engaging stories with props and puppets. They also take part in activities to develop their fine motor skills, such as using tongs or sensory games. Older children are encouraged to write their name on their work, and some also write other words familiar to them.