Holly House Private Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Managers consider the ages and stages of children when planning their curriculum. They ensure that staff focus on the important skills they want children to learn at different points in their journey in the nursery. This ensures that children have the skills that they need by the time they start school. Staff help babies to feel safe and secure. They are attentive and help babies to fall asleep. Babies are comforted and reassured by staff as they sleep. Staff help them to develop their independence as they learn how to feed themselves. Babies develop their skills from an early age.

Staff carefully plan learning so that children build on their existing skills and knowledge. They offer experiences that prepare them for later life. For example, children choose a recipe that they want to make. Staff help them to plan for the ingredients that they need. They take them shopping and work out how much money they need. Children learn about the world around them.

Managers find out about children's past experiences and what they already know and can do. They talk to parents and get to know children's interests. They use this knowledge to plan learning that children engage in and are motivated to learn.

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

• Staff support children's physical development. Babies enjoy exploring outdoors. They navigate slopes and climb in and out of structures. Staff provide more opportunities for children to develop their physical skills, as they climb steps and practise their balancing skills. Staff are close by to offer support and reassurance that gives children the confidence to have a go.
• Staff support children to develop their language and communication skills. They identify gaps in children's learning and implement individualised interventions, such as small group work, to help children. This ensures that all children make good progress form their starting points.
• Staff support children to develop their imagination and thinking skills. For example, children find pine cones and think about how they can use them. Staff ask thoughtful questions that help children to come up with their own ideas. They pretend to build campfires and roast sweets. Children develop their critical thinking skills.
• Occasionally, routines and transition times do not support all children's needs. At some transitional times, such as snack time, children become disengaged and restless because they are waiting for too long.
• Staff help children to learn about healthy lifestyles. They facilitate conversations with children about tooth brushing and how long you should brush your teeth for.
• Learning is well structured so that children can learn at a pace that is tailored to their needs. Staff plan a mixture of adult- and child-initiated activities so that all children benefit from what is offered.
• Funding is used effectively to support children's needs. Managers consider where there may be gaps in children's experiences or development. They use funding to develop staff skills and provide exciting experiences that children might not otherwise have.
• Managers support staff to develop their skills. They identify training that supports children's development. However, there is still some inconsistency in the quality of teaching across all staff, so that all children benefit from the same high-quality learning opportunities.
• Managers and staff build good relationships with parents. They work in partnership with them and any other agencies that may also be supporting children, so that they are meeting all children's needs. They share information with parents, such as the key words that children are learning. This helps parents to continue this learning at home. This contributes towards the good progress that all children make.
• Managers support staff well-being. They ensure that staff have opportunities during supervision sessions to talk about any concerns. This helps staff to be effective in their roles.
• Managers evaluate the provision consistently and effectively. They engage with parents and gather their views. This helps them to continuously improve and develop the provision to meet the needs of all children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider the organisation of transitional points in the day, so that all children remain engaged and motivated
• strengthen existing development processes to ensure consistency of staff's teaching across all age groups, and support those staff who are undertaking additional qualifications.