Hopwood House Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely happy in this homely nursery environment. The provider, who is also the manager, leads a team of dedicated and enthusiastic staff. Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum to help all children thrive. However, the provider's vision for what they want children to learn is not always implemented successfully across the nursery.

Children beam with delight as they arrive each day, happy to be greeted by their key person at the door. They happily wave goodbye to parents. The new drop-off arrangements due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, do not affect children's entry and they bound in, eager to play and explore. Children have close relationships with staff and their peers. This contributes towards their high levels of self-esteem and emotional security. Overall, staff are well trained and have a secure knowledge of child development. They make learning fun and provide a child-led approach to planning.

Staff use carefully considered behaviour management strategies. Children are well behaved as they know what is expected of them. Older children play cooperatively with their peers. They interact well during pretend play and share real crockery in the role-play house. They demonstrate excellent physical skills and work together to manoeuvre across the wooden bridge or push each other on the rope swing. Babies and younger children happily play alongside others, checking in with their key person when they need support or a cuddle. All children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning.

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

• Staff promote early writing skills by using an abundance of sensory materials. Babies use small finger muscles and make marks in paint covered with bubble wrap. Two-year-old children use their hands to explore the consistency of cooked spaghetti dinosaurs, which staff provide to support a current interest. Older children trace their names and develop pencil control.
• Leaders are focusing on widening all children's language and vocabulary. Staff support babies by reading stories, singing songs and mimicking sounds back to them. Older children hear and start to use more complex language during small-group sessions. During cookery club, two-year-old children learn letter sounds as they make 'purple prickle pancakes' based on a current favourite story. However, staff who know precisely what children need to learn next are not always deployed well enough as they are often required to undertake other tasks. This means that there are some occasions when children's learning is interrupted or lacks focus.
• Disadvantaged children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are thriving in this nursery. Staff and children use some simple sign language to ensure that everyone is able to communicate and be heard. Staff work closely with parents and outside agencies to ensure that children get the help they need. Additional funding is used well. For example, training for staff on supporting mental health and emotions books were purchased and used successfully to help to improve children's ability to regulate their behaviour.
• Staff focus on promoting children's physical development and health. They provide rich outdoor play opportunities in the stimulating, newly renovated outdoor area. This has been particularly beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children's physical development is strong.
• Staff give children lots of time to develop confidence and social skills. Children come from diverse backgrounds and differences are celebrated. Staff ensure that children develop awareness of people in the community. Staff and older children have continued to write to residents at the local care home while visits have been required to pause. This is one way they have adapted to the COVID- 19 pandemic, keeping a sense of familiarity for children. However, while leaders have a clear intent for how to promote key areas of the curriculum, they have not ensured that all staff can deliver it consistently.
• Parents speak extremely highly of the staff team and the progress their children make. They say they are fully involved and updated, even with the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents value online communication and comment that babies' care is specifically tailored to meet their needs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teeth brushing in nursery stopped. Therefore, staff sourced toothbrushes to send home for children, to continue to promote their oral health.
• Staff say that they feel well supported by leaders. Staff are rewarded with treats for their positive contributions. Leaders have reduced the level of paperwork to lessen staff's workload, particularly while they have been settling in new children. Staff receive mandatory training. Leaders have begun to provide more individualised professional development to staff. This is to further enhance their knowledge of how to teach children what they need to learn at present and why. This will support them to help all children make the very best progress possible.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's professional development and ensure that they are all aware of and are able to implement a precisely sequenced curriculum that builds on what children know and can do
• improve staff deployment so that staff who know what individual children need to learn next are available to deliver purposeful learning.