Heather's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Good settling-in procedures mean that staff get to know the children well and children enjoy spending time at this welcoming nursery. Staff greet them with warm smiles and reassurance as they arrive, and children quickly settle into the daily routine. There is a lovely atmosphere. Staff are very patient with children. They talk to them about any unwanted behaviour. They ask children why they should not do something, and this helps children to reason why. Children respond well to this guidance.

Children confidently make choices from the exciting toys and activities on offer. Babies explore their environment. They enjoy making marks on paper with paint. Older children enjoy engaging in opportunities for speaking and listening and eagerly gather for a group time. They take turns to describe a toy animal that they pick from a bag. They enjoy giving their opinions on the sounds the toy animal makes, what it eats and where it might live. Children wait patiently for their turn and develop confidence to speak in the group. They receive reassurance from staff, which helps them to feel proud of their achievements.

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

• Staff understand how to teach children and know what they want them to learn next. They provide a good balance of free-play activities and adult-guided experiences. Staff are keen to try new ways of working. For example, they have successfully taken on board the new planning for the curriculum that the new manager has introduced.
• Management carries out observations of staff to assess their practice. This helps them to identify any weaknesses, that they can address quickly. Staff have opportunities for training to improve their knowledge. Supervision sessions are held regularly to help monitor practice.
• Support for children's communication and language is good. Staff narrate what they do and repeat key words for babies. Songs and stories help to develop children's vocabulary, and the children become confident communicators.
• Staff skilfully weave mathematical language into all areas of play and learning. Children count with confidence and staff introduce positional language. For example, children are asked what a booster seat does for them in the car. Children say it makes them higher. During chase games in the garden staff use language such as, in front and behind. Children begin to confidently use these words in their play.
• Children have access to good nutrition while at the nursery. Their dietary and allergy needs are met effectively. For example, senior staff check at the start of the day which children have specific dietary needs. They then check that the planned meals for the day will meet the individual children's needs. This minimises the possibility of children being served the wrong foods.
• Children develop confidence and become self-sufficient in caring for themselves. In preparation for school, they learn to take off their own shoes when they come in from outside. They wipe their own noses when needed. At snack and lunch times, they make their own choices as they choose what they want to eat, and they serve their own food.
• Staff have a strong partnership with parents. Parents say that they value the sharing of information about their children's learning and that they can feed back what their children do at home. They are happy with the progress that their children make.
• Staff provide children aged over two years with a good range of opportunities to explore the outdoor area. Children use their imaginations to build a den and enjoy sitting underneath while they sing familiar rhymes with staff. However, the garden area for children aged under two years is not used as effectively to stimulate children's play and learning.
• Children learn about oral health. They take part in activities that teach them how to clean their teeth. However, staff have not extended this to involve parents, so that they can signpost them to a dentist if they do not already have one.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend what is available in the outdoor area for children under the age of two years to make it a stimulating environment for them to play and learn in
• consider how to involve parents in children's oral health and help to signpost them to local dentists.