Fairfields Private Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting happy and full of enthusiasm. They are warmly welcomed into the setting with their parents, who discuss handover information with the child's key person. Leaders have planned an effective curriculum across the three rooms, carefully considering the different stages of the children and their interests. The curriculum supports all areas of children's development. For example, children learn to make marks in the shape of butterflies and manipulate play dough to make individual caterpillars. In addition, staff successfully released butterflies into the garden that have been nurtured from caterpillars.

There is an effective key-person system that means staff know their key children and families well. They talk with confidence about what the children know and what they need to learn next to prepare them for the transition to the next stage of their education. Children show high levels of independence as they make choices in their play, wash their hands independently in the classroom sinks and self-serve their food at lunchtime. Babies thrive in their learning environment and particularly enjoy singing time. Staff use visual prompts, such as hand gestures and signs, to help children recognise when it is their turn. Staff understand some babies are less mobile and maximise their environment by carefully tuning in to the children's non-verbal cues and babbles.

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

• Staff provide an inviting environment for children and consider children's interests when planning learning experiences. Staff promote children's early mathematical skills well. They count to three with babies, using their fingers to accompany songs. Staff plan exciting activities that help older children to recognise numerals. For example, children have great fun building a height chart with tape and talking about the numbers.
• Staff use assessments well to monitor children's progress and next steps. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. Staff work together with the special educational needs coordinator to address identified emerging gaps in children's development. As a result, all children make good progress.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents report the setting has been invaluable in supporting their children. Staff are always on hand to support parents or answer questions, should the need arise. Parents compliment staff on how well their children settle and build attachments with the staff who care for them. This helps to ensure that parents feel comfortable leaving their children.
• Children successfully develop their communication and language skills. Staff use approaches such as singing and role play to introduce new words. Children happily and confidently join in and repeat new words in songs, which helps to extend their vocabulary. For example, babies sing the name of the toy animal that is found in the 'what's in the box' activity.
• The leaders support staff extremely well. They meet with staff regularly to conduct supervision sessions and to check on their well-being and workload. Staff work well together and value and respect each other. Staff comment on the strong sense of teamwork and feeling valued by leaders. New staff go through robust vetting and induction procedures during recruitment to check their suitability and help them fulfil their roles.
• Leaders employ capable room leaders for the three rooms at the setting. The room leaders plan and support the implementation of curriculums within their rooms that meet children's needs well. Room leaders help other staff to meet the changing interests of the children to build on what children already know and can do.
• Staff supervise children well. They seamlessly move between the rooms to provide cover at key times without disrupting the continuity of care. Staff ensure that the correct number of adults are available to help children learn and stay safe while in the large outdoor area. Staff are passionate about using the natural area to help children learn a range of skills. For example, children learned how many scoops of soil filled a jar of 'mud bolognese' and told the inspector all about the caterpillars eating the leaves. Therefore, children are becoming inquisitive learners.
• Overall, children show lovely attitudes to learning. Babies show impressive levels of patience and turn-taking when playing in the water tray. They enjoy using their fine motor skills to squeeze pipettes of water into containers. Older children concentrate intently as they carefully fill and empty containers in the water area. However, staff do not always implement the curriculum effectively during group activities. Consequently, during these times, some children do not fully engage and can become distracted.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to plan and implement the curriculum effectively during group time to help children remain focused and engaged in learning.