High Hopes Day Nursery LTD

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff go above and beyond to provide children and parents with the support they need. Parents comment that staff have been instrumental in accessing help from a range of professionals. Children develop a very good relationship with staff. Staff take time to play with children and understand their interests. Children demonstrate this relationship as they talk to staff happily as they walk to the park. Babies come to their key workers for cuddles. Parents comment that children are happy and settled. Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe. For example, as they walk to the park they talk to the children about how to cross the road safely. As they walk out of the nursery building, they know they have to hold onto the fence.

The curriculum is ambitious. Staff seize opportunities to extend children's learning. This is evident as staff work alongside children in the sand tray and model counting as they scoop the sand. Children develop confidence in their counting. Staff working with babies draw lines and circles in a water and paint mixture. They introduce key vocabulary, such as 'line'. This supports children to develop their communication skills. Children behave well and staff support this through communicating clear expectations that they consistently reinforce. For example, children sit by the door and show patience when they are waiting to go outside. Staff work well with other professionals, who may be involved with children and their families, to ensure that there is a consistent approach to managing children's behaviour.

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

• Managers evaluate the nursery effectively. They have a good overview of how they can improve children's learning. For example, a recent focus on communication and language has led to a significant rise in staff confidence in this area. Managers have identified that they need to help staff develop a deeper understanding of their role. They have implemented further strategies, such as weekly supervisions and team meetings, to support this. However, this is not yet sufficiently embedded into practice.
• Staff support children to develop an understanding of how they can keep themselves healthy. They talk to children about the importance of washing hands after using the toilet or before eating. Children have fresh air and exercise as they play in the garden or play in the park. They enjoy healthy meals with plenty of vegetables.
• Staff support children's communication exceptionally well. They use stories and singing as a means of supporting children's communication. Staff teach children new vocabulary. This is evident as they play alongside children and introduce words, such as 'paint, circle' and 'line'. Children pick up these words and repeat them in their play.
• Children develop a strong relationship with each other. Staff support this by providing opportunities for children to develop key social skills and confidence. Older children happily find a partner as they get ready to go to the park. They talk to their partners about what they can see.
• Staff have a precise understanding of children and know what they want children to learn. Their planning is precisely focused on children's next steps in learning. For example, staff working with babies plan a range of activities to support children to stack with blocks or develop their awareness of body parts.
• All children, including those in receipt of funding, make good progress. Staff use funding effectively to help children make progress. For example, recent funding has been used to help children to regulate their emotions. Staff training in this area has helped staff to understand how they can support children effectively.
• Staff develop a good relationship with parents. They gather detailed information from parents when children first start, so that they can meet children's needs effectively. Staff use a range of methods to share information with parents. For example, stay-and-play sessions give parents detailed information about what their children are doing and how they can help them further.
• Staff usually have clear routines. However, they do not always adapt these effectively to meet children's needs during transitions, such as lunchtime. For example, when children return later than expected from an outing, lunchtime can become busy and lunch may be delayed. Staff do not always consider how to manage these changes effectively, and on these occasions, babies and younger children can become unsettled.
• Staff do not support children to develop their independence consistently. They give children time to put their shoes and coats on and encourage children to pour their drinks at lunchtime. However, as children get ready to visit the park or eat their lunch, staff provide them with fewer opportunities for children to try to do things themselves.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to provide training and support to staff to give them a deeper understanding of their roles and responsibilities
• review and continue to improve routines and transitions to ensure the provision consistently meets children's needs
• provide more opportunities for children to develop their independence.