Fernwood Day Nursery, Out of School & Holiday Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The impact of staff's quality teaching is seen in the rapid development that children are making. Children are learning social skills from a young age and, in turn, friendships with their peers are blossoming. Babies stand either side of a partition, bobbing up and down as they play peekaboo together. They have learned this game from their playful interactions with staff. These children have progressed from playing separately alongside others to purposefully playing in cooperation with each other. This is an advanced skill for children of this age. Pre-school children show how their social skills have become securely embedded. They participate in group games outdoors, which staff have chosen to support their mathematical development. Pre-school children take turns to confidently count and use language about time during their play.

Staff have created a well-organised environment in which children's focus on meaningful learning is promoted. Children actively contribute to this. For example, they are quick to help at tidy-up times. Children's well-being is supported effectively through the ways in which staff help them to navigate their day. Staff use a sand timer to help children know when their routine will be changing. Children know what is happening in the present and what will happen next, as they can check a visual timetable. This helps children to feel emotionally secure.

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

• Leaders and managers carefully consider what they want children to learn when designing their curriculum. They understand that this can change depending on children's lived experiences. For example, for pre-school children who were born during the pandemic, staff continue their intense communication and language support, as well as their focus on children's emotional development.
• Leaders and managers have a strong vision for all children to become independent learners through purposeful play. Children's attitudes to their learning are positive. Staff use focused teaching activities, as well as child-led moments, to support children's learning and development. Children show curiosity and high levels of involvement in what they are doing. They spend long periods of time engaging in activities that they enjoy. For instance, younger toddlers gather around the water tray pouring liquid between containers, exclaiming, 'That's funny!', as the water overflows and splashes them.
• Consideration is given to the breadth of ways that children's communication and language development can be accelerated. Staff teach a sign of the week to promote children's non-verbal communication. The manager displays teaching aids across the nursery to prompt staff to use rich and vibrant language during their interactions with children. This supports children's vocabulary to grow.
• The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) fulfils her role and responsibilities very well. Timely referrals are made when gaps in children's learning and development start to emerge. Staff work positively and proactively with support services and use their expert advice to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are making the progress of which they are capable.
• Staff use a range of resources and activities to teach children. These are, overall, age-appropriate and relevant to their stages of learning and development. However, there are some inconsistencies. Occasionally, staff provide children of differing ages with the same activity but without enough adaptation or opportunity for skill progression. In addition, staff provide babies with insert jigsaw puzzles to support their hand-to-eye coordination, but this activity is too complex for them at this age.
• Staff pay particular attention to making sure children know and understand what makes them unique. They celebrate a range of festivals from various nationalities, all of which are relevant to the children who attend. For example, in early December they recognise St Nikolaus day, and in mid-December children learn about Hanukkah. This helps children to develop their understanding of the diverse world around them.
• Leaders and managers account for all additional funding they receive. This benefits all children, but especially those who are entitled to the funding. Leaders and managers have thought carefully about what will make the biggest impact on children's learning and development when spending money. They invest in additional staffing and appropriate resources.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to think even more precisely about what they want children to learn and the best ways of teaching this so that resources and activities are fully age-appropriate and offer children opportunity to continually build on their skills.