Grosvenor Daycare Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This highly effective and inspiring setting provides an exceptional standard of early years education. The dedicated staff work tirelessly to create a nurturing and inclusive environment. Staff go above and beyond to ensure that every child experiences the superb learning opportunities on offer. With creativity and care, leaders design a curriculum that thoughtfully accommodates each child's unique learning. Leaders' and staff's meticulous monitoring of children's attendance patterns in designing the curriculum ensures that no moment of discovery or growth is missed. There are particularly strong relationships between staff and children. All children are treated with the utmost care and respect. As a result, children are extremely happy and settled.

Children arrive excited and eager to start their day. They are greeted individually by enthusiastic staff who support them to settle quickly. Children behave impeccably. They can identify each other's feelings and demonstrate a strong desire to look after each other. Staff focus on being mindful and teach children how to cope with their changing feelings. This allows children, even those under three years, to identify and express their wants and needs highly effectively. Staff deliver an outstanding commitment to helping families navigate home challenges. They provide interesting activities with exciting resources and guidance for families to use at home. This supports children's continued learning really well.

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

• Staff are exceptional role models. During care routines, staff repeat intentional, gentle, positive affirmations to babies. These thoughtful interactions create a sense of security and belonging. The purposeful words of encouragement help babies feel valued and secure, strengthening emotional bonds. This fosters a strong sense of self-worth and confidence from an early age.
• Staff observe that some children experience anxiety around trying new foods. To help ease these worries, they thoughtfully incorporate opportunities for children to explore unfamiliar foods during playful activities, such as pretending to make soup. Through this imaginative and pressure-free approach, children are encouraged to interact with different ingredients in a fun and relaxed way. This helps to reduce food-related anxieties and build positive associations with a new and varied diet.
• Staff use rich language consistently when speaking to children. They use targeted strategies for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. By adapting their communication to suit individual needs, they ensure that every child engages in meaningful conversation. As a result, all children develop impressive language skills and are becoming skilled in expressing their own thoughts and ideas effectively.
• Staff carefully select books that they know will capture children's interests. The 'Book of the Month' initiative ensures that all children, including those who attend part time, have opportunities to hear and revisit a familiar book. Staff bring stories to life with expressive voices and gestures. They captivate children's attention and spark their imaginations. Children eagerly join in, recalling details and repeating phrases. This strengthens their love for books and reading.
• Staff read to babies in small, nurturing groups, creating a secure and attentive environment that supports their personal, social and emotional development. These intimate sessions help babies build trusting relationships with adults and their peers. They experience the joy of shared stories in a calm and caring space. By using warm tones and engaging expressions, staff encourage babies to connect emotionally with the story. This cultivates a sense of belonging and promotes their ability to engage with others in a meaningful way.
• Staff support the physical development of children beautifully. Children display determination as they squeeze their hands to control cutting equipment. This supports them to develop excellent small-muscle skills in preparation for writing. Staff understand that some children learn better outdoors. The meticulous implementation of the curriculum allows children to progress from undertaking simple climbing and balancing activities to eventually being able to master more challenging activities, such as an obstacle course. This excellent practice not only builds children's physical skills but also provides excellent opportunities to test out and enhance their problem-solving skills.
• Staff maintain exceptional relationships with parents, keeping them deeply involved in their children's learning. Parents praise the setting for helping their children make 'amazing progress'. Online workshops, such as supporting early writing, equip families with tools and a deep understanding to support learning at home. This seamless partnership drives rapid progress for every child.
• Leaders' commitment to continuous improvement is highly evident. They are extremely reflective. For instance, they consistently review the impact that the curriculum has on children's progress. Staff training is tailored to ensure that all staff build on their already deep knowledge and skills. As a result, all children are supported to make the best possible progress. Additionally, this inspirational leadership inspires and creates a culture of self-improvement.