Fakenham Children's Day Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this warm and welcoming nursery. Children's emotional well-being is exceptionally well considered. Staff are caring and responsive to their needs. For example, those new to the nursery and requiring a little reassurance, are greeted warmly by their key person. Children are confident and develop exceptionally strong bonds with their special person. Staff meticulously plan transitions to support the smooth move from one room to another. For instance, children are accompanied by their key person while they become familiar with the new room and the daily routines. This helps children to feel safe and secure and to settle quickly.

Children's behaviour is exceptional. Staff act as positive role models. They engage in children's play to demonstrate turn taking. Staff provide explanations for rules such as why it is important to walk indoors. This helps children to understand the meaning behind the rules and boundaries. Children learn to understand and regulate their behaviour. Skilled staff use stories and play opportunities to open discussions about different feelings. Children build strong and lasting relationships with their peers. They are kind and considerate to each other.

Staff put children at the heart of all they do. They secure support to ensure children and families receive the support they need to overcome potential barriers to their learning. Children make exceptional progress from their starting points. They show high levels of involvement in their learning at all times. Staff provide a highly stimulating environment that fosters children's imagination.

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

• Children make excellent progress in their learning and development. The highly knowledgeable staff, who are passionate about what they do, demonstrate a firm understanding of the curriculum intent. They continuously reflect on their provision and give careful consideration to the sequencing of the curriculum. Staff provide ample opportunity for children to revisit learning and build on their skills consistently over time.
• Children demonstrate high levels of independence. Staff carefully guide children to solve problems and meet challenges. For example, at mealtimes, babies work towards feeding themselves with spoons. Toddlers practise using forks with increasing control, while pre-school children self-serve their food and use knives and forks competently at meal times.
• Children enjoy an extensive range of experiences. For example, they visit the allotments and harvest vegetables. Staff take children to join the stay-and-play sessions held locally to meet other children from the area. They plan exciting trips such as days out to the beach. These experiences help to shape children's understanding of the community in which they live.
• Children's communication and language skills are promoted exceptionally well. Staff implement highly effective strategies to support children's language development. They captivate children's attention with their expertly read stories. Staff model vocabulary and comment on children's actions. Children quickly learn and repeat new vocabulary, such as 'stretchy' and 'squishy', as they explore materials and enthusiastically join staff for songs and rhymes.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are extremely well supported. The knowledgeable and caring staff have the same high aspirations for all children. The designated coordinator supports staff to create tailored plans for children's learning and development. Staff work with other agencies and parents to create a collaborative approach to children's learning.
• Partnerships with parents are exceptional. Parents praise the staff for their excellent service and care. The staff strive to build strong bonds and provide support for parents in a variety of ways. For example, parents can access home-learning bags that include high-quality information on subjects, such as transitions, along with books and activities for supporting learning at home. Parents are extremely pleased with how well staff know their children and comment on the exceptional progress they make.
• Leaders and managers are ambitious and passionate about the nursery. The manager is highly reflective and accurately evaluates all aspects of the provision. She targets areas to develop and sources effective training for her staff team. Staff morale is extremely high. The manager values her staff and supports both their well-being and professional development. As a result, the team are thoroughly committed to their pursuit for excellence in all areas of the nursery.