Immingham Day Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this friendly setting. They are excited to arrive and eager to explore activities. Those children who are new to the setting are welcomed by nurturing staff, who gently guide them through the morning routine. Staff encourage children to be confident, resilient and inquisitive. Children have secure friendships with adults and their peers.

Children are excited to explore learning opportunities, which staff carefully plan based on their interests. For example, children enjoy collecting leaves outside and use them in craft activities. Young babies explore sensory baskets that include a variety of materials, textures and objects. When children are playing, staff talk to them about what they are experiencing. For example, as babies explore the sand, staff use words such as 'soft' and 'smooth'. This helps babies and young children to hear language in context, which supports their early understanding and language development.

Staff support children's independence well. For example, they provide self-serving drink areas. Staff support children to look after their belongings and manage their own self-care needs effectively. For example, children hang their coats up when they arrive in the morning. They access the bathroom independently and manage their own personal needs. This helps children to be ready for starting school.

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

• Children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. The special educational needs co-ordinator is clear on the targets she wants children to achieve. Staff are knowledgeable about children's starting points in learning. They plan well-thought-out activities to support children's development.
• Staff value and promote diversity throughout the setting. They teach children about a wide range of cultures and festivals, such as Diwali. Managers recognise the importance of ensuring that their resources reflect a diverse range of cultures. This helps children to learn about the wider community.
• Staff have ambitious goals for all children, especially those children who speak English as an additional language. These children are learning to speak in full sentences. Staff promote children's language through singing, storytelling and everyday discussions and questions.
• Staff are successful at incorporating simple mathematical concepts into children's play. For example, older children count the number of pumpkins they have. Children use the language of size, such as 'bigger' and 'smaller', when ordering them.
• Parent partnership is strong. Parents express how well staff communicate with them about their child's development. They say that staff are very friendly and approachable and they can 'totally trust staff' to care for their children. Managers go above and beyond to support families who need additional help, including swiftly contacting outside professionals for advice if required.
• Managers evaluate their practice and make plans for improvement. They ensure that additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, is used effectively to promote the well-being and learning of children. For example, staff have used funds to purchase resources to support children to recognise their emotions. Managers seek feedback from parents. They have identified areas to improve, including developing the outdoor area to support children's physical development.
• Overall, children are well behaved. Staff use positive reinforcement to manage children's behaviour. However, staff do not consistently explain to children why some behaviour is not appropriate. This hinders children's understanding of managing their own behaviour and how their behaviour may impact on others.
• Staff promote children's good health and generally develop their awareness of healthy lifestyles well. For example, children learn to wash their hands before mealtimes and regularly spend time outside in the fresh air. Staff interact well with children and engage them in conversations as they eat. However, they do not extend their teaching to help children learn about the benefits of making healthy food choices and the importance of a healthy diet.
• Managers provide effective and up-to-date training for all staff. They observe staff in their work with children. Managers recognise staff's individual strengths and give them guidance on what they could be doing better. They hold regular supervision meetings with staff, where they discuss individual children and their own development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to manage children's behaviour to help them to learn about why and how their behaviour affects themselves and others
• ensure that staff give consistent messages to children about healthy lifestyles, to further promote their understanding of healthy food choices.