Ingleby Barwick Children's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and safe in this nursery. They have secure attachments with all staff and their key persons. Staff are caring, friendly and welcoming, which helps children to settle quickly. Staff plan a curriculum which takes account of what individual children need to learn next. They know what they want children to learn during activities. Children quickly become engaged in the motivating and challenging activities on offer. Children behave very well. Staff continually praise children to help them understand what they have done well. Children learn to share, take turns and respect each other. Older children talk about what makes them happy and sad, and learn to identify their emotions.

Children have lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Babies crawl into the ball pool, pull themselves to standing and have lots of room to practise their walking. Older children climb up the ladders and glide down the slide. They propel themselves around on ride-on bicycles, being careful not to bump into other children. All children play outdoors in the fresh air each day. Children investigate throughout the day. Babies sit in a sandpit, emptying and filling sand into different containers. Older children explore autumn-themed natural resources, discussing the different smells and resources.

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

• The manager makes sure that the nursery is inclusive and welcomes all children. She wants all children to make the best possible progress. The manager liaises with and refers to external professionals, such as speech and language therapists. This helps children catch up in their development.
• Staff read books with children throughout the day. They encourage children to join in with songs and rhymes, which helps develop develop their early literacy skills. Staff use puppets to engage children when listening to stories. Children are encouraged to use the nursery's library to take books home to share with their parents.
• Staff provide healthy, home-cooked food for children throughout the day. They make sure that drinking water is always available for all children. Babies happily have a go at feeding themselves. Older children eagerly self-serve nutritious meals at lunchtime, such as fish pie, and pour their drinks.
• Children learn the importance of looking after themselves and leading a healthy lifestyle. Staff share information with parents to support their children's oral health. Children learn the importance of washing their hands and brushing their teeth regularly throughout the day.
• Staff listen carefully to children and comment on what they are doing. They introduce new words to children to help to extend their vocabulary. Children learn to hold conversations and express their views. They are confident communicators.
• The manager recognises that some staff would benefit from extending their knowledge of how to support children's language development. For example, at times, staff do not remove babies' dummies when they are speaking or babbling. Staff collect key words in children's home languages from parents. However, they do not use these words consistently to help children, who are learning English as an additional language to understand what is being said to them.
• Staff provide parents with daily information and photos about the activities which their children take part in. Comments from parents are positive. Parents state that staff are warm, welcoming and professional. However, staff do not consistently share detailed information with all parents about what their children need to learn next, to provide continuity in children's learning.
• The manager celebrates staff's achievements, such as displaying these on a 'shout-out board'. Staff's morale is very high, and they all feel valued and well supported. They work well together as team, benefiting from regular supervision sessions and peer observations, to help to extend their practice further.
• Children have many opportunities to develop their fine-motor skills, in preparation for early writing. Babies explore dough, squeezing it and rolling it between their fingers. Toddlers make marks with rollers, and paint on large pieces of paper. Older children begin have a go at writing for a purpose.
• Staff promote children's mathematical development well during play. They model counting, and encourage children to recognise shapes and colours. Children explore speed and direction when they investigate pushing toy vehicles up and down ramps.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend staff's knowledge of how to support children's language development
• share consistent and precise information with parents about what their children need to learn next.