Genius Gems Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and babies are very happy and settled as they play with their friends and staff. They are well motivated to play, explore and develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff supervise children well to keep them safe and support their needs. Babies crawl up to staff for cuddles and form close bonds with them. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) enjoy the company of their one-to-one support adult.

Children behave well and staff provide them with clear guidance and boundaries. Babies learn that they can throw a bowl when they go outdoors but not when they are indoors. They develop good social skills and learn to wait for what they want. Two-year-old children share their play areas well with their friends, such as when they play in the sand. Pre-school children thoroughly enjoy developing their role-play ideas together as they recreate their experiences of visits to the seaside.

Children develop good levels of concentration, babies listen attentively and then join in with their favourite songs. They jump up and clap along. Two-year-old children focus well as they carefully thread pasta onto string. Pre-school children show an interest in writing and sit with good posture at a table to draw and write.

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

• The manager, who is also the provider, reflects well on the service they provide and continuously looks for ways they can further improve. For example, they plan to change the daily routines to benefit children.
• The manager provides staff with effective supervision, coaching and training as part of their ongoing professional development. She is currently working with staff to implement changes to their communication and language curriculum. However, staff working in the two baby rooms need further support to implement the education programmes. They do not match their planning and teaching as well as possible to the babies age and stage of development.
• The manager has developed a progressive curriculum that reflects the needs of the children. Children have good opportunities to play and learn outdoors. They enjoy the opportunities to be physically active. This includes, climbing, balancing, digging and riding tricycles. Staff provide children with a good range of opportunities to support their physical development when they play outdoors. However, they do not organise the indoor environment as well as possible to maximise the potential for babies' and children's large-muscle movements.
• The manager and staff monitor children's progress well. They make timely referrals to ensure that children with SEND receive further support from other professionals to help them to work towards their development milestones. Staff provide effective, targeted one-to-one support when needed, such as to help them to manage their feelings and behaviour and with any language development delay.
• An effective key-person system is in place to build relationships with children and their parents. Staff have a thorough understanding of children and their families which helps them to plan for children's learning. The manager allocates additional funding so that it benefits the children it is intended for.
• Parents speak positively about the nursery and the relationship they have with their child's key person. They say how their children enjoy attending and feel they are safe. They share how the staff are kind, friendly and look after their children well. Staff provide parents with lots of useful information about their child's progress and a summary of their daily experiences.
• Staff provide children with good opportunities to develop their independence. Babies learn to feed themselves with a spoon, two-year-old children learn to use cutlery and pre-school children serve their own meals and drinks. Staff help two-year-old children to gain confidence in toileting, and older children manage their personal care needs well.
• The manager and staff support children's health successfully. Children enjoy the varied and nutritious food and snacks. They have access to drinks throughout the day. Staff make good use of the daily routines to support children's understanding of good hygiene practice. Staff keep the toilets and nappy-changing areas clean and follow good hygiene routines at mealtimes.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide further support to staff working in the two baby rooms to match accurately their teaching to children's stage of development
• enhance the planning for the indoor areas so that children's large-muscle movements are supported even further.