God's Grace Daycare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm and nurturing environment for all children. They provide opportunities for children to learn a wide range of key skills. Children feel happy. They enjoy strong relationships with their key persons and other staff. Staff teach children key words such as labels for items in the home. Children who speak English as an additional language learn key vocabulary. This helps them to express themselves. All children gain confidence and feel listened to. Their emotional security is well supported.

Staff create an ambitious curriculum that builds children's understanding of the world. They enhance children's understanding of different cultures and communities. Staff sequence the curriculum to build on children's previous knowledge. For example, children talk excitedly about visits to local museums. They look forward to applying their new knowledge in their play at nursery. Children feel keen to share their achievements. They have high levels of self-esteem.

Staff support children to understand the rules of the nursery. They have high expectations of children's behaviour. Staff teach children to listen and follow their instructions. Children learn how to share and take turns. They consider the feelings of others as they play alongside their friends. Children are respectful and considerate.

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

• Leaders and staff plan a curriculum that promotes the skills children need to learn across the early years range. They consider the prior life experiences of children at the nursery to plan suitably ambitious activities. All children gain confidence as they learn about the world around them. They are curious learners who are well prepared for school.
• Staff track children's development across all areas of learning. They work together to identify the steps that children need to make to reach the next developmental stage. Where children are struggling to learn a new skill, staff plan a range of opportunities for children to spend time practising. Children make good progress in their learning.
• Staff understand that some children need additional support with their learning. They work with leaders and parents to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders and staff make links with external professionals where appropriate. All children receive the support they need to be successful.
• Overall, staff share an intent to promote children's independence. However, on occasion, there are inconsistencies in how individual staff implement this vision.
• For example, not all staff remind children to do things for themselves. Children do not always have opportunities to gain independence at the highest levels.
• Staff skilfully teach children new vocabulary. They use stories and songs to promote children's language skills. Children gain confidence and fluency. They engage in back-and-forth conversations with other children and staff.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents report that children have warm relationships with staff. They say that children gain confidence and make progress in their social and emotional development. Parents say that the information from staff helps them to extend children's learning at home.
• Staff support children to lead healthy lifestyles. For example, they teach children about healthy foods. Children are curious to taste a wide range of fruits and vegetables at snack time. They understand that eating well helps them to gain physical strength.
• Leaders recognise that there have been challenges in recruitment since the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders have maintained suitable and safe supervision arrangements for children. However, they recognise that, on occasion, staff are not always deployed effectively to support children to join in. On occasion, children do not always engage in activities at the highest levels.
• Leaders are reflective of their practice. They carry out regular supervisions with staff to help them to identify areas for development. Leaders work with staff to plan continuous professional development opportunities for individuals. This helps all staff continue to develop their teaching skills over time.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build further on developing staff's practice to extend children's independence
• consider further how staff are deployed to support all children to join in with activities.