Havelock Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children warmly as they arrive at the nursery. They have positive relationships with children and their families. This helps children to settle quickly into the routines of their day. Staff are good role models towards children. For example, they teach children to understand what is expected of them. As a result, children behave well. Staff teach children to take turns and the importance of kindness. Children are confident to reach out to staff for comfort or to play alongside them. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

Staff know children well. They provide interesting and challenging activities that will build on what children already know to further expand their learning and development. For example, staff teach children to identify different features of dinosaurs, enabling children to correctly identify them by the number of horns or the length of their neck. Children practise saying dinosaur names, such as 'triceratops' or 'brachiosaurus', as they use water and brushes to draw them onto the fence. These activities provide wonderful learning opportunities for children and help them to make good progress in their learning and development, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

• The provider has identified the skills and knowledge that they intend staff to teach children as part of the nursery's curriculum. Staff plan activities based on children's interests and needs, which helps children to focus on what is being taught. For example, when children learn about keeping warm around campfires, they collect sticks to make the fire while staff teach children how to keep themselves safe. In addition to this, staff provide small, quick, focused sessions daily to help develop children's attention.
• Mathematics is not consistently introduced into children's play and learning from an early age. This limits children's opportunities to practise and develop their mathematical knowledge and understanding.
• Staff teach children how to keep themselves healthy. Children learn good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating and after personal care routines. They are provided a healthy balanced meal made fresh on the premises and plenty of fresh fruit for snacks. Staff are aware of children's allergies and dietary requirements when serving food and ensure that these are adhered to.
• Staff extend children's communication and speech, such as through regular storytelling, songs and rhymes. This is done with individual children, based on their choice, or in groups, which promotes discussion and introduces new words to children. Babies are engaged in stories as they explore their senses using the textured books and props. This helps children to make good progress in their speech and language.
• Children make good progress in their physical development and develop their physical skills in the large outdoor areas. Staff plan opportunities for them to climb and build, and explore many textures, such as sand, water and mud. Babies and toddlers build their core strength, such as when they push and pull the prams and bicycles.
• The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) knows children's needs well. Communication is effective within the team. This ensures that any concerns are brought to the attention of the SENCo and their parents quickly. Strategies are put in place straight away to ensure that children's gaps in development close quickly. The SENCo has good links with outside agencies, who are invited into the setting to support children and staff.
• Partnerships with parents are positive. Parents express that they feel staff keep them informed about their children's daily routines. They receive regular updates on their children's learning and development and how they can support this further at home. This helps to provide a consistent approach to children's learning and development.
• Leaders and staff show a positive commitment to the continued development of the nursery. They reflect on practice through observations and children's progress to identify areas they can develop to enhance children's experiences in their care. Leaders and staff have completed a wide variety of training opportunities to help to develop their knowledge and skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities for children to practise counting and mathematical concepts during their play, to build on their mathematical skills and knowledge.