Harvard Park Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff care about children's emotional well-being and personal development a great deal. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, they recognised that some children found it harder to separate from their parents and build relationships with other adults. Staff work hard to gain children's trust and form an attachment with them. They show children kindness and warmth, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Parents and grandparents appreciate staff's nurturing and welcoming approach. Staff teach children to share and take turns to promote their good behaviour. They organise effectively the daily routines which have a positive impact on children's happiness. For example, mealtimes are relaxing and comfortable, which children enjoy.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning. They encourage children to do manageable tasks to promote their independence skills. For instance, older children have learned to use age-appropriate tools to chop fruit for their snack. Younger children have plenty of opportunities to practise their crawling and early walking skills. This is demonstrated when they explore the indoor environment confidently and make choices in their play. Staff encourage children to be active and practise their singing skills. Children sing along enthusiastically and move their bodies to music. They show high levels of motivation.

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

• Managers work with their early years advisers to reflect on their practice to identify areas for development. For example, following the self-evaluation process, they changed the layout of the cosy corner, which has increased older children's concentration span. The management team is keen to re-establish involving parents even more in their children's learning, which was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The management team carries out regular meetings with staff to guide their work with the children. Staff say they have opportunities to gain higher qualifications in a specialist topic, such as on how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff responded well to the training, which refreshed their knowledge of how to interact with children more effectively. This has had a positive impact on children's attitudes to learning.
• The nursery has recently gained the 'Let's Talk Together' award from their local authority. This has given staff more confidence to play with the children and engage them in conversations. However, this is still in its infancy and is not yet fully embedded into practice. For example, some staff do not make effective use of all opportunities to build on children's language and problem-solving skills.
• Staff work collaboratively with external agencies, such as speech therapists, to provide children with targeted support. This helps children, including those who speak English as an additional language and have speech delay, make good progress from their starting points. The impact of this partnership is evident in how children manage their behaviour. They have learned to listen and follow instructions well.
• Staff observe children as they play and assess what they can do. They use the information to identify any gaps in children's learning. However, they are not always clear about their curriculum intent and how to sequence some planned activities. This prevents staff from supporting children to make the best possible progress.
• Toddlers show their good levels of creativity and imagination. This is evident, for example, as they pretend to cook and make drinks in the role-play area.
• Older children's literacy skills are developing well. They are able to recognise their own name and draw pictures. There are also opportunities for children to select and use technology for different purposes. This teaches children to operate information and communication technology devices safely.
• Staff provide children with daily opportunities to play in the garden and explore their local surroundings. They talk to children about nature and engage them in forest-school activities. For example, children learn to make picture frames using natural resources. Children gain knowledge and skills about the world around them through these stimulating experiences.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make use of all opportunities to further extend children's language and problem-solving skills
• support staff to understand how to plan and sequence the curriculum more effectively.