Happy Jays

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy within the nursery. Caring and attentive staff know children very well. There is an effective key-person system that ensures children's individual needs are met. Additionally, staff are receptive to babies' needs. For example, staff intuitively know when babies may be tired or need a bottle. Babies snuggle into staff for their milk. Settling-in visits are well planned in partnership with parents. These are planned around individual children. Staff recognise some children may take longer to settle than others.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Any incidents are dealt with calmly and in line with nursery policies. Staff support children to understand how they are feeling and there is a strong focus on supporting children's well-being. As a result, children develop high levels of respect for each other. For example, toddlers apologise to each when they accidentally bump in to one another.

A well sequenced curriculum throughout the nursery results in positive outcomes for all children. Children benefit from a wide range of trips and outings in the local community. For example, children attend forest and beach school. This is particularly beneficial for some children who find the nursery learning environment challenging.

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

• Children are provided with ample opportunities to develop their self help skills and be independent. They are encouraged to pour their own drinks and babies learn how to use cutlery, such as a fork and spoon. Older children help themselves to plates from the centre of the table and serve their own meals. Staff are vigilant in managing children's allergies. Children with allergies are familiar with the process and ensure they have red plates. This helps to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. Staff engage in a range of discussions with children. For example, staff talk about children's experiences which helps them to recall these events.
• Staff introduce some mathematical language with children. However, this is not consistent. For example, some staff describe objects as 'big' when they mean 'tall'. This means children do not learn the correct language.
• The nursery plans regular events with parents and other carers, such as grandparents. These events provide parents and carers opportunities to join in with children's play. These sessions also provide valuable opportunities for parents to meet other families. Staff share a range of information with families through newsletters. These are available in a range of formats to ensure they are accessible to everyone.
• Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills. They support children to negotiate large climbing equipment safely, in the enclosed outdoor play area. At snack and meal times, children use tongs to help themselves to bread. During an activity, children enjoy cutting into a giant courgette using child-safe knives. Children are taught how to use tools safely. These activities are planned to support children's fine motor skills and strength.
• Babies take it in turns to visit a sensory room, which helps to support their overall development. Additionally, pre-school children eat their lunch in a separate dining room. However, transitions between these rooms is not well organised. Some children find these transitions difficult and this results in some unwanted behaviours, such as pushing, while waiting in line.
• Managers regularly observe staff practice and provide staff with strengths and areas for development. Training is well planned to support areas for improvement, Leaders and managers are pro-active in seeking out new training opportunities, which will have the most positive impact on children. Staff feel well supported and there is a strong focus on supporting staff's well-being and mental health.
• The nursery works in partnership with parents well. Parents value the support and information they receive from the nursery. Staff are dedicated to getting to know the whole family to ensure they have a holistic view of the child. This helps staff to understand how they can support children and families at home and helps to address any concerns at an early stage.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the mathematical language used and provide further opportunities for children to engage in discussion around shape, size and measure
• refine the day-to-day transitions around nursery to ensure these are smooth and reduce any unnecessary waiting time.