Happy Days Penrice

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this nurturing nursery. Staff focus on building positive relationships with children. They gather information from parents about children's likes, dislikes and care routines when children join. This helps staff to plan for children's needs from the start. Children are allocated a key person who offers one- to-one support as they get to know children and their families. They also provide bespoke transitions through the nursery to ensure children are settled and happy. Staff are kind, caring and responsive to children. They provide them with attention, praise, cuddles and reassurance to support children's emotional development. Children form close bonds with staff. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Children leave their parents with ease on arrival and staff greet each child with a warm welcome. New children settle very quickly.

Staff plan a progressive and ambitious curriculum for children that focuses on promoting the key skills of communication, confidence, physical health and strong social skills. They use regular assessments of children to provide relevant individual learning experiences that supports progress for each child towards their next steps. They teach children about behavioural expectations. Children know and follow the 'golden rules', such as the need to use kind hands and walking feet. They show kindness and help others. For example, older babies bring shoes to their friends when getting ready to go outside. Staff model turn taking with toddlers who show an understanding by saying whose turn it is next. Older children play positively together.

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

• Leaders and staff work closely with parents and relevant professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff quickly identify children who require additional support and put interventions in place. They use funding effectively to target the needs of the children. For example, they buy additional mark making resources to use in the outdoors for children who prefer to learn in that environment.
• Staff promote children's good health. Children benefit from regularly playing outside in the fresh air. For example, older children play a traffic lights game with staff where they practise running, jumping and stopping. They feel their heartbeat and talk about how exercise helps them. Staff remind them how to care for themselves during this time by making sure they have extra drinks to keep hydrated. Staff provide nutritious meals and snacks. Children learn to grow and harvest their own foods and enjoy sampling what they have produced.
• Staff place a high priority on promoting children's language and communication development. They model skills by talking to children and introducing ambitious language and new vocabulary. Babies learn to communicate using signs and simple words. Older children learn to explain their thinking. Staff frequently question children to share their thoughts and ideas. Children are confident communicators. For example, older babies excitedly join in daily 'sing and sign' sessions in small groups. They attempt to say ambitious words such as 'diplodocus' while sharing books with staff.
• Leaders offer regular support and guidance to staff. For instance, they use monthly staff meetings to provide essential updates and targeted training. They provide ongoing feedback and mentoring to ensure staff can provide positive support and raise outcomes for children. Staff benefit from a variety of training opportunities that supports their continual professional development and promotes consistently good practice across the nursery. For example, staff have completed 'maths champion' training and have supported colleagues to strengthen the mathematical development of children. They also join colleagues from other nurseries for training to share best practice.
• Overall, children build a strong sense of self and independence in their choices. For instance, staff encourage children to choose the fruits they want to eat at snack times and the activities they want to join during the day. However, staff do not use lunchtimes to fully promote and encourage independence and self-care. For instance, although children serve themselves, staff do not effectively teach them to tidy up after themselves. Additionally, staff clean toddlers faces for them and tidy away their dishes as children sit. Older children require constant prompting by staff. At these times, children do not learn self-care skills.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to prepare for life in modern Britain. For instance, children learn about the other cultures of children who attend and key festivals from other religions. However, staff do not fully plan the curriculum to ensure all children build their understanding and independence in using the technology. This does not fully prepare them for the world we live in and the technology they will use in the next stages of their development, such as starting school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the organisation of lunchtimes to maximise children's independence
• widen children's understanding and use of technology to help prepare them for the next stages of learning.