Greenside Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this welcoming nursery. The manager is passionate in her belief that 'every child here is an individual, and no child is left behind'. Children are happy and safe. The learning environment is designed with the needs of all children in mind. For example, there are calm, quiet spaces with sensory toys and individual resources. This helps children to settle and regulate their feelings when they need to.

Children show good levels of involvement in their play. Older children count accurately and use the language of size as they fill plant pots in the mud kitchen. Babies are encouraged to take sliding steps while holding on to wheeled toys for support. They receive praise, claps and smiles for their efforts.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning and behaviour. Children understand the nursery rules and routines. They wear 'wow' medals with pride as a reward for their smiles on arrival and good tidying-up skills. Children thoroughly enjoy books. They choose them independently, starting at a young age. Staff read books enthusiastically and encourage children to interact with the story. Babies enjoy looking at home-made family books. They see their photo on a page and point to themselves. They say their own names with excitement and delight. This helps children to develop a love of books and supports their early literacy.

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

• Staff provide an ambitious curriculum that makes use of the indoor and outdoor environments. This provides stimulating experiences for children. For example, children build a volcano from craft materials and paint it. They take part in experiments to make it 'erupt' with 'lava'. This helps to build children's vocabulary and creativity as they explore texture, colour and materials.
• Children's personal development is promoted well. Lunchtimes are social occasions where children enjoy healthy and nutritious meals. They develop social skills as they chat with their friends and adults. Children are encouraged to be independent in managing their self-care, such as dressing and feeding themselves. This helps children build confidence and physical skills and gives them a sense of achievement.
• Children learn about the wider world by talking about the different destinations they have travelled to. Family photos are displayed on a globe, and items of interest from the visits are shared during 'something special' time. This helps to stimulate children's curiosity and provide learning about differences in race, religion, culture and appearance.
• Parents speak highly of the staff and say, 'It's not just a job to them; their heart is in it!' Staff encourage parents to contribute to the development of the curriculum. For example, they include parents' wishes in their learning plans for children. Parents value the way the staff team celebrates the little wins of progress for their children. As a result of this joint working, parents are fully involved in their children's learning. This helps children to make good progress.
• The manager and the special educational needs coordinator go the extra mile to make sure that all children feel included in the setting. Additional funding is spent with integrity to directly support children's learning. Children with additional needs demonstrate that they feel happy, safe and settled. However, there are some gaps in staff knowledge. For example, strategies for teaching communication skills to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are limited. As a result, some children with SEND are not provided with the right support to express what they want or need or to aid their understanding.
• Despite minor gaps, staff promote language well. They prioritise reading stories, and they sing lots of songs to children. Staff model language clearly and use assessment tools to identify and plan for children's language development. These are shared with parents to support the home-learning environment. As a result, most children are strong communicators.
• The manager has effective systems in place to support the development of the staff and to check on their well-being. For example, staff have regular supervision meetings to discuss their personal and professional development needs. The manager utilises the strengths of team members. For example, staff share their expertise in using story sacks. This helps to improve the effectiveness of staff practice in building children's early literacy skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff practice in using teaching strategies that effectively develop children's social and communication skills and meet the needs of all children, including those with SEND.