ILM Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this welcoming nursery. As children arrive at the nursery, they are greeted warmly by kind and caring staff. Children who speak English as an additional language benefit from targeted support to ensure that they make good progress in their development of English. Most staff are multilingual. They use their knowledge of other languages to support children and their families well. Staff help children to feel safe, to follow directions and behave well. They praise children positively to help reinforce the behaviours they want to see, building children's confidence and self-esteem. This helps children feel proud of their achievements.

Leaders have developed and implemented a curriculum that is progressive and tailored to what children need to learn at different stages of their development. Staff focus on supporting children to develop positive attitudes towards learning. They plan activities that engage and stimulate children's interests. For example, children enjoy using play dough to create their own face, using their hand-eye coordination and hand muscles. Staff model rolling and pinching the play dough to create mouth and eye shapes. Staff value children's ideas, and when they say we need red because our lips are red, children are offered red glitter to add to their creations.

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

• The dedicated leaders, alongside their staff team, are passionate about continuous improvement and strive to provide the best outcomes for children and their families. The leadership team ensures that staff's knowledge is kept up to date on all changes, and they know how to confidently recognise and manage any concerns about children.
• Staff know the children well and spend time building strong relationships with all children. Staff complete regular assessments of what children know and can do. They use these assessments to plan activities that allow children to successfully build their learning over time and to identify any gaps in children's knowledge and skills.
• Children enjoy singing and dancing activities, both indoors and outdoors. Staff join in dancing activities with children and demonstrate the actions. Staff sing nursery rhymes, which helps children to learn through repetition and gain confidence in their communication skills. Outdoors, children move their bodies excitedly to the music, which helps promote their early appreciation of music.
• Staff actively promote cultural diversity and celebrate children's unique backgrounds. Children learn about a range of religious and cultural celebrations, such as Diwali, Chinese New Year and the Stoke centenary, through hands-on craft activities. Children take part in fundraising activities to support local causes.
• These experiences help children to learn about the diverse world and the community in which they live.
• Staff interact well with children and play alongside them to support their learning and development. Staff engage in conversations and use these opportunities to widen children's vocabulary. However, occasionally, staff move on too quickly without giving children enough time to think and respond to the questions they pose. This reduces opportunities for children to extend their ideas and deepen their vocabulary.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress. Leaders create achievable targets and ensure that all staff understand how best to support children with SEND. They work closely with specialist services and parents, as a result, children benefit from structured support and a consistent approach to their care.
• Staff support children in learning about healthy lifestyles. They ensure children spend plenty of time outdoors in the fresh air and are provided with nutritious snacks and meals. However, at times, staff are called away from mealtime routines to deal with other tasks, which results in some children losing interest and their attention being interrupted.
• Children develop their independence through everyday tasks and personal care routines. Staff promote children's independence well through curriculum activities, such as handwashing before meals, brushing their teeth after snack and using the mirror to check their faces are clean after lunch. Staff guide older children in developing personal skills, such as recognising when they need to wipe their noses.
• Parent partnerships are a key strength. Parents are very happy with the care and support their children receive. Parents are kept well informed about their child's progress through daily conversations and information shared electronically.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children sufficient time to gather their thoughts, process new information and respond to questions being asked by adults to further support their communication skills
• strengthen the organisation of mealtimes so staff can continue interacting with children and promote their learning without being distracted by other routine tasks.