Happy Tots Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy attending this nurturing, happy nursery. Babies proudly point at photos of activities that they have previously experienced. Older children enthusiastically recall what they have learned at nursery. Staff have developed positive, caring relationships with children. They offer reassuring cuddles when children are new to the setting, which helps them to quickly feel calm and secure.

Staff promote a sense of awe and wonder of the world we live in. Babies giggle as they explore their own reflections in the mirror. Older children watch in amazement as they see a bird's nest outside. They ask thoughtful questions about when the eggs will hatch. Staff further ignite children's curiosity as they show them videos of nesting birds of prey. They teach children the names of these birds and build on their knowledge of how eggs hatch. Children develop positive attitudes to learning and make good progress from their starting points.

Staff support children from an early age to understand the routines and expectations. They use objects of reference to prepare children for what is happening next. For example, they show babies a nappy before nappy changing time. Staff explicitly model to children how to share and to take turns. This supports children to be able to interact positively alongside each other.

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

• The manager evaluates the quality of the provision effectively. She is passionate about helping staff to develop their knowledge and expertise. She ensures that staff have access to an array of professional development opportunities and that they receive targeted coaching and feedback on their practice. This helps to ensure that staff's knowledge and skills improve over time.
• Staff understand the importance of supporting children's communication skills. They engage children in rich two-way conversations. Staff extend children's vocabulary through clear modelling and explanation of new or unfamiliar words. As children create a castle using cardboard, staff introduce words, such as 'turret'. Children enjoy listening to staff read stories aloud. They make links with other books and talk about how aspects of the story relate to their own lives. Children make good progress in their language and early literacy development.
• Leaders are ambitious for what children should achieve at each stage of their development. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In the main, staff plan learning experiences that build on children's knowledge and skills well over time. However, at times, children's individual next steps in learning are not precisely targeted through the activities that staff provide. This means that, while children enjoy the activities on offer, they are not always effective in building on what they already know and can do.
• Children benefit from the many opportunities that staff provide to develop their physical skills. Outside, they use their feet to pass a ball to each other and carefully steer as they ride bikes. Inside, babies develop their strength and coordination as they climb and slide on play equipment. Children use the small muscles in their hands to make marks with paintbrushes and to pat sand down in a bucket. Children achieve well in their physical development.
• Overall, staff provide children with a range of activities that engage and excite them. In their independent play, children focus for long periods as they explore the accessible resources. However, occasionally, the organisation of group times is not as effective in ensuring that children remain engaged. At times, the large group size means that children spend time waiting for a turn or become distracted by noise around them. At these times, children are less engaged in purposeful learning experiences.
• Parent partnership is promoted throughout the nursery. Leaders and staff have established effective daily communication with parents to support continuity between the setting and home. Parents are given a range of information to help them to understand their children's development and next steps. Staff also share ideas about how they can extend children's learning at home.
• Staff promote healthy lifestyles well. Children spend extended periods of time in the fresh air and eat healthy, home-cooked food at lunchtime. Older children embrace the challenge to run at speed around the large outdoor area. They shout 'Look how fast I am'. Staff support children well to meet their personal needs. They support children with learning to use the toilet and help them to wipe their noses when needed. Children's health and well-being are prioritised.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consider more closely how to promote the intended learning for each child through the learning experiences they provide
• review the organisation of group times to ensure that children are consistently engaged and accessing purposeful learning.