Hill Row Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome and settle quickly in this homely environment. They are happy and build strong bonds with their key person who knows them well. Staff plan to ensure that children receive continuity in their care. For example, they collect detailed information about babies and young children's routines at home, such as sleep and feeding patterns and comforters. Staff remain with their key children at mealtimes and eat together. This consistent approach helps to support children's emotional security.

Children behave well and demonstrate kindness to each other. Older children enjoy having responsibility for routine tasks, such as setting the tables at lunch and helping to tidy away activities. They receive consistent praise from staff for being helpful. Children's achievements and efforts, both in the setting and at home, are recognised and displayed, further reinforcing the nursery's message that each child is valued.

Children are confident and motivated to learn. They are eager to explore with their peers and with the responsive staff. For example, following the story of 'the three bears', children explore textures by adding water to oats. They listen carefully to the words staff use as they describe the changes taking place. Children learn and use new vocabulary, such as 'soggy' and 'sticky'. They beam with pride as they receive praise for sharing their thoughts and ideas.

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

• Partnerships with parents are excellent and they speak very highly of the staff. They describe the setting as 'homely' and refer to staff as 'nurturing' and 'caring'. Parents appreciate the effective communication staff provide. For instance, in addition to the daily verbal hand-overs and reassuring messages, parent evenings are offered to accommodate those working longer days, providing opportunity for parents to meet their child's key person. Parents receive regular updates about their children's learning and development. Parents can access a lending library of activities as well as suggestions for supporting children's learning at home.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff work closely with external agencies and parents to ensure children receive effective care and support, in both the nursery and at home. Staff provide children with additional support to meet their individual needs during their transition to school, such as visiting classrooms when they are quiet and sharing photos of teaching staff. They ensure that all information is gathered and shared with the most appropriate staff to support a smooth transition.
• Staff understand the importance of supporting children's language and communication skills from a young age. For instance, they respond to babies' babble and model turn taking in conversation. They narrate children's play and repeat back children's words, to clarify their meaning. Staff listen to children and expand their sentences to extend their developing vocabulary. However, not all staff are ambitious in the language they use and there are some instances when staff do not pronounce words correctly. This means children are not fully supported in developing their wider vocabulary.
• Children behave well. Staff are good role models and they are consistent with their expectations of children's behaviour. They use gentle reminders to support children to take turns with equipment and share resources. Children are reminded of the rules of the setting and staff explain why these are in place.
• Staff encourage children to things for themselves and sequence children's learning well. For example, they provide babies with spoons at mealtimes to encourage them to feed independently. Older children confidently handle cutlery, and staff demonstrate how to cut food items into smaller pieces.
• The managers value their staff team and provide regular staff meetings to share information and ideas for improvement. Staff comment that they feel supported and that the managers are extremely approachable. Staff receive regular supervision meetings and annual appraisals to discuss their professional development. However, while the managers ensure that staff complete mandatory training, they have not yet sought further ways to help all staff develop a deeper knowledge of teaching and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff understanding and practice of how to help children develop a wide and varied vocabulary and model correct pronunciation of words
• build on the opportunities for staff's professional development that focus more specifically on developing an expert knowledge of teaching and learning.