Hazebrouck Day Nursery and Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children make good progress from when they first start at this warm and nurturing nursery. Staff know the children well and take time to gather an understanding of what children can already do when they arrive. This helps children to build on existing skills and knowledge and make good levels of progress. Staff provide stimulating activities that consider children's interests, such as vehicles and babies. This helps keep children engaged in their learning.

Older children show high levels of confidence when using large outdoor apparatus. They happily complete challenging obstacle courses with skill and enthusiasm. Staff further support physical development well across the nursery. For example, in the baby room, children are offered opportunities to pull themselves to standing to see themselves in mirrors. While in the toddler room, children are encouraged to build strength in their hands and fingers by placing keys on and off key rings during a counting activity.

Children behave well. The calm and friendly staff are clear in their expectations of the children and act as positive role models. For example, staff consistently model good manners when talking to the children and offer gentle suggestions of how best to share and take turns, explaining why this is important. Children are gaining a good understanding of how to be kind and considerate.

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

• Staff have a clear understanding of what skills and knowledge they want children to learn, and when this is expected. The curriculum is sequenced to help children successfully build on skills already learned. For example, babies are encouraged to lead their own weaning and eventually use spoons. Toddlers are asked to self-serve and use forks at mealtimes. While older children are taught how to use knives and forks and are expected to pour their own drinks into cups.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), overall make good progress. However, at times, strategic plans to support these children are not specific enough to promote best progress. For example, some individual support plans have the same ongoing objective for lengthy periods of time. This results in children with SEND not consistently making best rates of progress.
• Children enjoy being creative at the nursery, particularly in the form of role play. This was evident when a child used mathematical equipment to dress up and act like a pirate. Children are also given lots of opportunities to develop their mathematical knowledge and skills. Staff skilfully engage in children's games, such as hide and seek, and challenge children to count as far as they can. Staff address any misconceptions accurately and with sensitivity.
• Staff promote children's language skills effectively. They share a wide and rich range of stories and books and regularly sing nursery rhymes with the children. Staff help children to gain new vocabulary. For example, when playing in the garden, children delight at spotting two 'helicopters'. Here, a staff member points out the two spinning blades and informs children that these are special helicopters called 'Chinooks'.
• Children are strongly encouraged and supported to live healthy lifestyles. All children access the large outside spaces daily and happily engage in physical activities, such as running, climbing and riding. Children are taught about healthy food choices and the employed cook plans and delivers a highly nutritious menu. Children's health and well-being is promoted well.
• Parents comment positively about the nursery. They state that children very much enjoy their time there and communication between home and nursery is frequent, open and informative. Parents state that they are informed regularly about what their children's next steps for development are, and how to best support them at home. Partnerships with parents are strong and effective.
• Overall, staff benefit from a leadership team that knows their skills well. Staff report that they feel valued and listened to. They access regular training opportunities and value the time to share views and opinions in staff meetings and appraisals. However, at times, the youngest children find settling-in challenging and staff are not fully effective in supporting them to do this.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's skills in the baby room to best support new children when settling in
• support staff in effectively identifying strategies to best support children with SEND.