Harefield Hospital Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy, behave well and show a love of learning at this welcoming and friendly nursery. They form strong relationships with all the staff and particularly their key person. Staff know children very well and are attentive to their needs on a daily basis. They adapt settling-in procedures and daily routines to meet children's individual needs. This allows children to settle in at their own pace and, consequently, from a very young age, they come in happily to the nursery.

Staff have high expectations for what children can achieve. Older children serve out their own meals and pour their drinks as they take on the role of helper. They relish the opportunity to tidy up and eagerly put the bricks back into the box. Children show high levels of self-esteem and confidence.

Children enjoy access to a wonderful range of activities and resources outdoors regardless of the weather. Staff place a firm focus on outdoor play and learning and use the vast garden to extend children's learning experiences. For example, young babies play in the mud kitchen, sharing equipment and delighting in filling and mixing pans of mud. Older children drive their diggers through the mud hole and use larger spades to challenge their physical development. Parents comment on this wonderful aspect of the nursery. They appreciate the opportunities for play that children experience here.

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

• Children's behaviour is very good in the nursery. Young babies show good listening and attention skills and follow their routine well. They sit together and sing familiar songs while trying to mimic the sign language actions that staff role model. Children share toys with encouragement and are polite and kind to their friends. Staff are respectful to each other and the children, and this creates a friendly environment for the children. Children are taught how to regulate their emotions and feelings and are given practical strategies to manage these. For example, older children have access to yoga mats and a quiet space where they can practise their mindfulness routines to calm their bodies and minds.
• Parents are very happy with all areas of this nursery. They comment that their children settle easily because the staff are very attentive to the children's needs. They enjoy the range of activities the children are offered, along with the spacious garden and nutritious meals. They feel confident to leave their children all day in the care of this warm and professional staff team.
• The highly qualified staff feel very well supported by their managers. Regular supervision meetings ensure that effective communication takes place between the staff and the manager. The quality of teaching is consistent throughout and staff work extremely well together and enjoy their job. This creates a professional environment for children to flourish in. Managers have an ambitious vision for the nursery. They effectively implement new systems to further enhance learning opportunities for children. Following recent training, they are promoting further communication and language development for all children. This includes those in need of additional support. Staff use support programmes which help them focus their verbal interactions effectively and help children practise their listening and attention skills.
• Staff skilfully weave opportunities to promote children's early mathematical knowledge into play and everyday routines. As young children build towers, staff encourage them to count the bricks and introduce language such as 'big' and 'bigger'. Older children follow mathematical signs that state how many children can play in each area and understand the concept of quantity. Overall, activities are well planned and accessible for the children. However, sometimes, these are not at an appropriate level that babies can reach. Consequently, they lose interest and cannot fully participate in the planned curriculum.
• Staff plan challenging activities for older children that cover all areas of learning. Children are introduced to the concept of measuring weight and they explore a range of objects and scales to understand this subject. During this activity, they are introduced to vocabulary such as 'heavier' and 'lighter' and also how gravity affects the balancing scales. Children are motivated to explore this by themselves. This new knowledge is extended into their role play in the home corner with cooking scales. Further weight related activities are planned for the children so they can consolidate this skill over time.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan the organisation of adult-led activities more effectively in the baby room to sustain children's interests and enable them to become more highly engaged in their learning.