Fingerprints Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident. They settle quickly in the safe and welcoming nursery. Children have secure attachments with staff, who are warm and caring. For example, babies and toddlers enjoy regular cuddles. This helps them to feel content and emotionally secure. Children enjoy their time in the nursery and behave well. They show care and concern for one another. For example, when their friends are upset, children ask them why they are sad.

Children, particularly those over two years of age, take part in a wealth of fun, engaging and challenging activities. For example, two-year-old children excitedly explore shaving foam. They practise their small-physical skills as they spread the foam onto square sponge scourers and build a tower. Three-year-old children show excellent focus as they learn how to follow a recipe and measure ingredients. They are very independent and use impressive language.

Children make good progress, including children in receipt of additional funding. They have a positive and inquisitive approach as they play and explore. The youngest children confidently practise their developing large-physical skills. For example, babies crawl around to explore. They use sturdy furniture to pull themselves up to a standing position. Older babies in the baby room enjoy negotiating indoor soft-play equipment.

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

• Overall, staff plan an expansive, ambitious and exciting curriculum. This builds on children's knowledge, experiences and interests, such as their fascination with insects. However, staff do not consistently plan activities and the environment in the baby room to meet the learning needs of different-aged children and keep them highly engaged.
• Staff effectively consult with parents to assess children's development. They plan for children's key next stages, such as learning to walk, talk or use the toilet. Staff promptly identify children working below typical expectations and make timely referrals to other professionals, to help children to catch up.
• Staff inform parents about children's learning exceptionally well, using progress meetings and electronic communication, for instance. They actively involve parents, such as through 'home-learning' books. Staff also involve parents in fundraising and other events, such as World Book Day and a pumpkin competition. Parents also help children to collect autumnal items for nursery displays and activities. Parents' feedback is highly complimentary.
• Staff promote children's early language and physical skills effectively. This creates a strong foundation for early literacy. Babies babble in response to staff's interactions. Children readily access books and love singing and listening to favourite stories. Two-year-old children use equipment, such as tongs, to grasp snack items.
• Older children show excellent hand-eye coordination. For example, they use threading resources, fine paintbrushes and baking tools, such as cutters. Staff provide pegs, hedgehog templates and a sign that asks, 'Can you put my spines back on?'
• Staff help children to learn many early mathematical skills. For example, they count as two-year-old children create dinosaur footprints using paint. Older children use electronic scales. Staff point out which numbers from the recipe card they need to look out for. They introduce mathematical language, such as 'heavy' and 'bigger'.
• Staff instil essential social skills in children. They sensitively encourage toddlers to share, and they talk about 'fairness' as children take turns to weigh and mix ingredients. Staff remind children about the 'Golden Rules'. Staff acknowledge children's achievements, using 'wow' displays, for instance. Children are very proud of what they do.
• Staff work extremely closely with parents to settle children in. They follow familiar care routines, which help babies and toddlers to feel secure. Staff work in excellent partnership with parents and teachers to support children's transition to school.
• The nursery cook provides freshly prepared, nutritious meals, such as chicken pasta bake. Children learn about healthy lifestyles. Staff expand on this by inviting visitors to the nursery, such as a dentist. Children enjoy fresh air and exercise, outdoors and in the local community.
• The passionate manager monitors many aspects of practice effectively in order to drive improvements. However, training and coaching for staff are not always precisely focused. Consequently, staff do not consistently extend and build on children's learning during activities and daily routines, when opportunities arise.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan and differentiate the curriculum more sharply so that the environment and activities take greater account of, and support, the individual learning needs and interests of children in the baby room
• strengthen the arrangements for coaching and training, to help staff to raise the quality of their interactions and practice across the nursery to the highest level.