Harpole Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at Harpole Day Nursery. They are greeted at the door by warm, friendly staff. Toddlers and pre-school children are supported to separate from their parents before moving on to find their friends. Highly attentive staff handle babies with great care and support them to settle quickly. Staff know all children extremely well. This helps children to feel secure, form positive relationships with staff and develop a good sense of belonging.

Children are encouraged to independently manage their own coats and shoes. Staff have high expectations of children. Their positive interactions contribute to children's learning, and support children to understand and manage their own behaviour. Children, including babies, are learning to be kind to their friends. Staff support them with gentle reminders about sharing, waiting and taking turns.

The environment is well resourced and babies and children can make independent choices about what they want to play with. All children enjoy learning, both indoors and outdoors. Staff plan a curriculum that takes account of children's interests and their learning needs. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are making good progress.

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

• Parents and grandparents speak very highly about the nursery. They comment that the verbal and electronic feedback they receive supports them to know about their children's development. They believe children's positive social development is due to the time they spend at the pre-school. They specifically mention the strong bonds children have with staff. Consequently, parents are confident that children are safe and very well cared for.
• The very youngest babies are supported at mealtimes while older babies are encouraged to feed themselves. Children, including those with SEND, learn to pour drinks and serve their own lunch. All children are very well supervised, and their individual dietary needs are well catered for.
• Staff have developed a well-considered and exciting curriculum that supports children's learning. Babies and toddlers choose freely from activities, games and books. Older children enjoy sensory play, arts, crafts and woodwork. Children who are learning about yellow have explored lemons in the water tray and enjoy painting daffodils. Staff support children's curiosity as they examine the petals and buds of the flowers in a vase.
• Staff build on children's skills and knowledge, which helps them to be ready to move rooms within the nursery or to start school. For example, two-year-olds who move to the toddler room are given extra support as they negotiate their new environment and begin to make new friends.
• Pre-school children enjoy being outside in the 'secret garden'. They are eager to play in the mud kitchen and to have a go at woodworking. However, pre-school staff do not always plan or manage the resources and time needed for group activities. For example, activities often become crowded, and staff are not always fully prepared with sufficient resources. Therefore, children do not always gain the most from these opportunities.
• Babies and children are supported to develop their communication skills. Staff in the baby room spontaneously sing and engage babies in games such as peek-a-boo. Babies cuddle beside staff to share picture books and listen to stories. Toddlers share familiar stories and learn the names of the food eaten by the hungry caterpillar. Pre-school children laugh and giggle with staff as they share number rhymes.
• The manager and deputy spend time in each room observing staff interactions with children. Staff are provided with purposeful feedback which encourages them to become reflective practitioners. The manager and deputy have a clear vision for the nursery's future. Staff share positive relationships with the management team. They comment that their well-being is a high priority, and that Harpole Day Nursery is a happy place to work.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff practice when working with groups of children, in particular in the pre-school room.