I Can Day Nurseries

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the setting. The environment is well resourced and children, including young babies, make their own independent choices about their learning and play. Staff are extremely attentive to children's needs and know them very well. This helps children to form strong relationships with staff and, consequently, children feel safe, happy and secure.

Children's development in communication and language, and physical skills are well supported and promoted throughout. Young babies have lots of opportunities to explore their large and bright environment. They can pull themselves up using low-level furniture as they take their first tentative steps. They play peekaboo with staff and giggle as they babble away. Toddlers are supported to gain independence. They are encouraged to put their own coats on and self-serve food at lunchtime. Pre-school children can freely choose whether to play indoors or outdoors with the wide range of activities on offer. Children can bring their own bicycles or scooters from home. Some have learned how to ride their bicycles without stabilisers.

Children gain an awareness of the world around them. They enjoy planting activities where they scoop and fill up pots with soil and plant their seeds. Children talk about the colours of the flowers and what their marigolds may look like. They talk about what a seed needs to grow. Children make good progress in their learning and are ready for their eventual move to school.

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

• Leaders have adopted a well-thought-out curriculum, sequenced on what children know and can do, and what they need to learn next. It is designed to enable children to acquire the skills necessary to become confident and successful learners.
• Leaders have effective systems in place to monitor the quality of teaching to ensure it is consistently good. Staff have regular supervision, reflection and evaluation meetings. They have access to online training and are supported to follow areas they are interested in. For example, the setting is currently redeveloping the forest-school area. A staff member has gained their qualification in forest school and will be leading activities designed to ensure all children have access to this outdoor learning.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Parents comment that their children are happy and settled. They enjoy feedback about their child's progress and say effective communication systems are in place both online and verbally.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are given the support they need to enable them to make the best possible progress. Leaders and staff work well with other external agencies who may also be involved in the child's care. Appropriate plans are put into place to support children and their learning. For example, they use methods, such as 'objects of reference' or flash cards to help communicate with children and for them to express their needs.
• All children benefit from lots of fresh air and activities outdoors. Staff deployment is effective in ensuring that children's safety and needs are met. Children are allowed to take age-appropriate risks. For example, older children enjoy building an assault course and walking over balancing beams. They chat to each other and are excited to join in. They giggle with delight when staff say, 'don't let the crocodile get you' as they try to 'eat them' when they do not make it across the beams. However, there are occasions when some of the activities do not provide sufficient challenge for those children who are most able.
• Children are being taught to respect each other and their differences. The setting recently completed a mental health awareness week for children. Children attended a 'baby spa' and had their nails painted. Children role played at the hairdressers and enjoyed exploring face masks. Boundaries and rules are introduced at an early age and staff talk to children about their feelings and emotions. Children show empathy towards each other and check that their friends are okay if they have hurt themselves. Consequently, children behave well.
• A strong emphasis is given to communication and language skills. Staff are good role models and interact positively with children. Children enjoy listening to stories and each room has their favourite books. Older children are starting to learn about letters and the sounds they represent. However, the provider's curriculum for mathematics is not promoted as well as it could be. Children are not consistently able to test and trial their ideas or learn early mathematical concepts, such as comparing size and shape.
• Children are learning about healthy lifestyles. They follow good hygiene practices. Children have access to 'nose wiping stations'. These comprise of tissue stations with bins where children are encouraged to take care of their own personal self-care needs. Children are encouraged to regularly wash their hands. They benefit from freshly prepared snacks and hot meals.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities to challenge those children who are most able, to ensure that they make the very best progress
• enhance the curriculum for mathematics even further, to provide children with opportunities to test and trial ideas through shape, weight and measure.