Happyfeet Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate that they feel settled and secure in this nurturing nursery. They are greeted at the doors by friendly staff who show a genuine interest in children and their families. Consequently, they quickly settle to their self-chosen play in the well-resourced and well-laid-out rooms. Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their self-care skills and independence. Babies enjoy helping to put their lunch boxes away and older children learn how to manage their personal care needs under the watchful eye of attentive staff. Children learn to be kind and considerate as they follow the example set by staff. They learn to play happily together and receive gentle support when they find turn taking difficult.

Staff are ambitious for all children. They work closely with families and other agencies to provide additional support when this is needed. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make sustained progress. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff provided activities and kept in regular contact with families. When children returned to the nursery, staff completed careful assessments to ensure that they were planning appropriately to meet children's needs. Consequently, children settled back into the nursery and to building on their previous learning quickly.

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

• Leaders and managers are ambitious for their nursery. They commission external support and engage in activities that are designed to enhance children's experiences. For example, they have recently participated in a baby room project that has led to the introduction of simple sign language to aid communication. Staff report high levels of well-being and support, including regular supervisions and opportunities to develop their interests. Apprentices report receiving support which builds their knowledge and confidence.
• Parents speak very highly of the support that they and their children receive from staff. They value the additional resources available to them, such as healthy recipes and ideas to support their children at home. These make them feel full partners and foster a joined-up approach to children's development and learning.
• Staff understand the value of books and use them to support teaching. Children enjoy reading and singing as part of the daily routine. Staff place books among activities to support and extend children's learning. However, staff do not consistently model or teach children how to use books in this way. This means that, although children learn to enjoy stories, staff do not help them to understand that books are a source of information.
• Staff use planned activities to teach children skills across the wider curriculum. For example, during a yoga activity, staff encourage children to count and compare the number of children and mats, and work out how many mats are needed. Children learn to listen carefully and follow instructions. Staff encourage children to remember and they confidently share what they have learned before and how activities link together. Staff teach children how their bodies work as they help them to take their own pulses using various pulse points. They support children to recognise that their heart beats faster after they have been active. This supports children to make links in their learning, and builds on their growing skills that prepare them for the next stage in their development, including school.
• Staff gather extensive information before children start and use this to plan for them immediately. They learn about children's cultures and where they go on their holiday. They use this information to explore how and where other people live. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that staff fully understand the importance of children being able to use and celebrate their home language. Staff lack confidence in integrating important words in children's home languages into their practice and are unable to explain the benefits of this to parents.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to teach children how to use books to seek information that extends their learning
• provide training and guidance that builds staff's understanding of the importance of using children's home language and extends their confidence in explaining this to parents.