Honey Pot House Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive in the setting happy and keen to learn. The staff greet children and their families with a warm smile and full attention. Children form strong bonds with the staff and make friendships. Children are deeply engrossed in their play and fully engage in conversations with their friends. They are motivated to learn, inquisitive and steer their learning by accessing a wide range of stimulating resources. Children learn to use good manners and respect other people. For example, during circle time, children discuss what makes them unique and that there are no two children alike, yet they are all friends.

There is a strong emphasis on allowing children to explore their interests and navigate their own learning through natural curiosity and free exploration. Children benefit from regular outdoor activities that positively promote their overall well-being. They develop their large-muscle movements and coordination. For example, children happily squat when hiding in tunnels and skilfully balance when sliding and climbing. Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop their understanding of early mathematical concepts. Older children count their steps, measure their height and compare different sizes of building blocks, while young children enjoy singing number rhymes and listening to poems.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning and progress. All children make good progress in all areas of learning. Those who need additional support are identified promptly and supported effectively to help them reach their full potential. The setting has good links with external agencies to ensure that all children can access professional support and guidance.

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

• Managers design and organise a flexible, innovative and inclusive curriculum that promotes learning opportunities for children across all areas of learning. The curriculum is effectively embedded in daily practice and consistently implemented throughout the setting.
• Managers sequence delivering the curriculum well, and ensure babies benefit from a home-from-home nurturing environment that supports their emotional and social attachments, with key persons from the beginning of their nursery experience. For example, babies benefit from many stories and rhyming sessions that support them learning their language skills, in a calm and loving atmosphere.
• There is a strong emphasis on supporting children's love for books. Children benefit from a vast array of stories and narrative plays. Staff have meaningful conversations with children about books, encouraging them to act out their experiences through storytelling. For example, young children dress up in costumes and represent different story characters. This helps children to practise newly acquired vocabulary and put their language skills into practice.
• Partnerships with parents are highly effective. Parents attend regular meetings and feel supported by the staff team and involved in their child's education. They actively contribute to their child's planned experiences through regular updates and discussions with staff. Children benefit from purposeful interactions with staff, who use their knowledge of their children to inform further curriculum intentions. This helps children build the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life. For example, staff created a 'core books for life' bundle that builds on children's existing knowledge of stories over time.
• Children are taught new concepts based on what they remember from their past learning experiences. For example, children build an animal shelter, based on their previous learning about jungle animals in a zoo. This helps children remember for longer and develop their knowledge based on previous experiences and skills.
• Children solve problems and find answers to small challenges that staff present them with. This helps to extend their knowledge further. For example, children find a green wooden tree and exclaim, 'Oh, broccoli!' Staff then challenge the children to find broccoli in the kitchen area alongside other vegetables they like, and to compare their properties. However, occasionally, staff do not allow children time to process questions asked and formulate the answers to them.
• Managers evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of their practice in delivering high-quality education for all children. They arrange professional training to further improve staff interactions with children and their teaching practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children's communication and language further by giving children more time to answer questions, to enable them to process what is being asked.