Halesowen Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this nurturing setting. Staff implement a well-planned, gradual settling-in process to help children quickly become emotionally secure. Children arrive enthusiastically, waving goodbye to their parents as they go in to join their friends to play. They demonstrate a positive attitude towards learning and enjoy interactions with each other. Children demonstrate that they feel safe. They approach staff and visitors with confidence. Children develop strong bonds with staff, which helps them to settle. They concentrate for an extended length of time as they pull and feel the play dough. Staff introduce new vocabulary as children manipulate the dough, such as 'soft' and 'squishy' as they describe the texture of the play dough. Children use a range of tools to roll, shape and cut the play dough. This helps children to develop the fine motor skills that they will need to be able to write.

Staff are good role models for children's behaviour. Children learn to say please and thank you as they play together. Staff help them learn to solve problems and share equipment. For example, when two children want the same toy, staff calmly support them to find an alternative. This helps children learn to understand and manage their behaviour. The manager and staff have high expectations for all children to develop a lifelong love of learning, with a rich vocabulary and a strong sense of worth.

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

• The manager and staff have designed a curriculum that nurtures children to develop into independent individuals. The curriculum is well sequenced, so that children accumulate skills they need in readiness for their futures.
• Children develop a love of books from an early age. Books are accessible everywhere in the nursery. Babies enjoy cuddles with staff and turn the pages of books and feel the different textures on each page. Older children enjoy looking at books together, happily retelling familiar stories. Staff explain the meaning of new words, such as 'extinct' and 'edible'. However, the organisation of some group activities could be better planned to ensure unnecessary disruptions do not distract children's learning.
• Children learn about diversity and difference. For instance, they learn about Holi Day, India's festival of colour. Children explore and are creative using a range of colourful resources and materials. These experiences help children understand the world in which they live.
• Staff interactions are mostly supportive of children's learning. However, there are times when staff are not clear about what the learning intentions are. This means that while children are stimulated by the activity, their learning is not always supported as well as it could be. That said, children are interested in the learning that takes place and do make good progress overall.
• Staff meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. They work well with other agencies involved. Staff actively seek further training to ensure they can provide the best care and outcomes for all children.
• Children access a wide range of physical challenges to support their gross motor skills. Babies pull themselves up on equipment to build strength in their legs. Older children develop their coordination skills and ball control with the visiting sports coach.
• Children develop good independence skills. For example, children independently wash hands before eating and after using the toilet, and older children serve their food at mealtimes and learn how to use cutlery.
• Leaders and managers are passionate about their vision for the nursery. Together with their staff team, they reflect on practice and strive for improvement. Managers support staff well-being and staff morale is very high. For instance, the manager provides staff with regular supervision, with an emphasis on supporting their development and well-being.
• Parents are exceptionally happy with the care and quality experiences their children have at nursery. They complement the professional relationships that they develop with all staff. Staff regularly share information with parents about their child's development, and newsletters explain how parents can support their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to implement precise learning intentions of activities more effectively, so that they are clear about what skills and knowledge they want children to gain
• review the implementation of group times to ensure that distractions are minimised and children fully engage in their learning.