Forbury Gardens Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy at nursery and separate from their parents and carers with confidence. Staff show genuine care and affection for the children. They give lots of reassurance to new and younger children when changes happen, such as when children move from outside back indoors. Babies are given lots of cuddles, and staff are interested in what older children have to say.

Leaders and staff are successful at implementing a curriculum that builds on children's existing knowledge and interests. For example, when children indicate that they would like to do some painting, staff tidy away some resources to make room and accommodate their wishes. Staff then use the opportunity to reinforce children's learning about colours and how colours can change when they are mixed together. Staff also provide experiences that broaden children's understanding of their local community and of each other. For instance, children visit the local museum and parks. They donate food to the local church and foodbanks for harvest festival. Staff play music from different cultural backgrounds, and students from the nearby university are invited to read stories in children's home languages.

Children show that they feel safe and secure at the nursery. They speak confidently to visitors and engage them in play. Staff encourage children's independence and set clear expectations for behaviour. Older children know, for example, to wait for headcounts to be completed before they move from the garden, and they join in with the counting to check their friends are with them.

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

• Staff plan a varied curriculum where children can learn both inside and outside. The curriculum changes for each age group, with a focus for the youngest children on building attachments and the development of language and communication. For older children, staff support children's social and self-help skills and help them to be ready for school.
• Children's communication and language skills are developing well. Staff sing songs and read stories regularly during the day. Babies sit engrossed as staff bring out the song bag and learn the actions to songs. Toddlers snuggle in with staff for their favourite story, and simple sign language is used throughout the nursery to support children's communication. Staff narrate children's play and use describing words, such as 'squash' and 'roll', when playing with dough with the older children, which helps to expand their vocabulary.
• The management team recognises the importance of having a knowledgeable and skilled staff team that helps children to make good progress. Overall, managers have effective arrangements in place for supervising and monitoring staff practice. However, some staff are less confident in their knowledge of how to adapt their teaching when covering in different rooms, for example rooms with younger children.
• The management team and staff build strong relationships with parents and families. They share information on a daily basis, both verbally and through an online system. Parents speak positively about the nursery and staff. They comment that staff provide a loving and safe environment and that their children have really flourished at the nursery.
• Overall, staff manage children's routines of the day well. They provide children with information before routines change. For example, staff explain to babies and toddlers about having their nappies changed before this takes place. However, during some mealtimes, some staff do not deploy themselves to support children effectively as they wait for their food, and children become a little restless.
• Staff support children well to lead healthy lifestyles. Children have daily opportunities to play outside in the fresh air, and they are offered a wide variety of nutritious meals and snacks. Children also enjoy taking part in regular sports sessions and music and movement sessions.
• Staff praise children's positive behaviour and are consistent in their support for children to reduce any unwanted behaviour. They introduce strategies to help children who struggle to regulate their behaviour and help older children to understand how their actions might impact on others. This supports children to develop good social skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to support staff's professional development to create consistently strong practice when staff are covering to work with different-age children
• review the organisation of mealtimes and staff deployment to support children effectively as they wait.