Helston Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff know children well. Parents and carers are full of praise for the care their children receive. They feedback that children are safe and happy at the nursery. Staff use what they know about children to create a broad curriculum. They offer children a wide range of trips out to enrich their learning experiences. For example, during visits to the local library, children learn how to borrow books. Staff include reading and singing nursery songs in daily routines. This helps to foster a love of books among children. Toddlers explore books on their own and maintain strong concentration.

Staff arrange external gymnastic classes for children to help improve their physical skills, such as coordination and balance. They use visits, such as to the local museum and joining the annual 'Flora Day' festival, to help children to build connections with the community and learn about local history. Children visit the local fire station, which helps them to understand fire risks and the people who care for them.

Staff use various strategies to teach children positive behaviour. They guide children to understand how their behaviour affects others. Children at this nursery are socially confident. They engage in meaningful interactions with their peers and adults. Children have positive attitudes towards their learning. Staff collaborate with local schools to support children as they transition to the next stage of their education.

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

• There is a strong focus on guiding children to develop their independence skills. Toddlers learn to be independent, such as by choosing their own snacks. At mealtimes, toddlers sit at low tables and progress from drinking from beakers to open cups. This helps them to develop their independence and table manners. In the pre-school, children remember to wash their hands with soap and water before mealtimes, demonstrating good hygiene practices.
• Staff understand the curriculum and the importance of building children's language skills. They generally communicate well with children to help develop their vocabulary. Staff assist pre-school children in remembering words, such as 'palette' and 'paintbrush', during a painting activity. However, when children need additional support, there are times when staff do not take opportunities to further enhance children's communication, ideas and interests. This does not maximise children's learning.
• Staff have developed a curriculum that recognises the importance of supporting children's understanding in mathematics. However, in their daily practice, staff do not consistently support children to explore and develop an understanding of mathematical concepts, such as counting, quantity, patterns, shape and dimension.
• Children are curious and engaged. They are kind to others, with toddlers happily sharing toys with one another. Staff support children to persevere and celebrate children's achievements. Children are resilient. They keep trying to learn new skills until they succeed, whispering 'yes' to themselves in celebration.
• Staff guide children to develop their creative skills by listening to their opinions and helping them come up with their own ideas in a creative way. Toddlers explore their imaginations as they play in the home area, where they pretend to cook a meal in a toy kitchen. Pre-school children develop their imaginative skills, such as they dress up in pirate and princess costumes before attending a pretend 'disco'. They move their bodies excitedly to the music, which helps promote their early appreciation of music.
• Staff often provide adult-led activities in small or large groups. Pre-school children enjoy a daily group session, where they recount the days of the week and the months of the year. However, the organisation of large-group times does not enable all children to participate. For example, staff ask some children to start their lunch while others join a singing session. As a result, some children who want to take part cannot join in.
• Staff speak positively about the support they receive for their work and well-being. They feel valued in their role and are encouraged to pursue higher qualifications in early years education. Some staff have recently completed training to support children aged under two years. This has helped to improve their understanding of younger children's needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's interactions with children so that conversations consistently extend their communication, ideas and interests
• extend the curriculum further to provide children with more experiences to explore and understand mathematical concepts, with regard to counting, quantity, patterns, shape and dimension
• strengthen the organisation of large-group activities so all children can join in.