Helitots Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited to arrive at this welcoming nursery. They enthusiastically greet adults and their friends as they settle quickly. Children rapidly become engaged in activities. They show high levels of fascination and concentration as they play. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make excellent progress as there is an ambitious curriculum. Knowledgeable adults diligently plan activities that excite and challenge all children. Babies explore the garden, learning to toddle and climb up to the slide. Their faces shine with their achievements. Older children discuss the 'dragon' in their small-world castle. They decide that dragons breathe fire and might be dangerous. They build walls around the castle with bricks to keep the castle safe.

Children behave exceptionally well. They play collaboratively, considering what each other needs. While creating a meal in the home corner, they pass each other tools and check that everyone has what they need. During the routine, they work together to tidy up and help get the next activity ready. Children are extremely confident and adults have high expectations for them. They give the children lots of respect and effective support. Children have a can-do attitude and look for solutions to problems. They stay focused in their learning and persevere when challenges arise.

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

• Children develop excellent communication and language skills. Adults expertly label pictures in books for babies. They repeat words back, extending babies' knowledge. Older children increase their vocabulary as they learn about the world around them. They keep land snails as pets and discuss the humidity snails need, before fetching water spray bottles to create this. They ask an adult to be the 'dragon' and breathe fire onto their meal so they can cook it. Babies learn about numbers through rhymes and adults counting objects as they play. Older children count how many children voted for a book at circle time. They learn about shapes as they construct with magnetic shapes.
• Leaders and managers are very reflective and ambitious for all children to succeed. They find solutions to any barriers and adapt the setting quickly to meet the needs of the children. Recently, they renovated a large part of the garden to create more physical challenge for all children. The older children thoroughly enjoy this space. They have learned to climb the climbing wall. They test their ideas, creating bridges and obstacle courses with the large planks of wood and slices of tree trunks. All children explore the water tray and watch objects sinking and floating.
• Children are very respectful and have lovely manners. Adults support them by having consistent rules and expectations. Children thrive as they know what is expected and what they can achieve. Older children use safety knives in the role play area to chop real fruit and vegetables. Adults keep a watchful eye but trust the children to have a go safely. Babies and toddlers have their needs met by sensitive and caring adults. This ensures that the babies and toddlers feel secure and valued. They are calm and happy and able to explore because of this sense of security.
• Partnerships with parents are extremely effective. Parents value the care and support their children receive. Parents receive lots of information about the nursery and the activities that are planned. They also receive regular updates about their children's progress. The setting has open days and 'fun afternoons' that parents and families are invited to. This gives parents an excellent opportunity to get to know the staff well and see how the nursery is run.
• Leaders and managers have strong partnerships with the Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) community and the local schools. This ensures that they work well together to support each child and their families. Children with SEND have their needs identified quickly by knowledgeable staff. Effective strategies are put into place to support them, so they make rapid progress.