Jack & Jill's Private Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy as they excitedly greet their friends. There is a buzz of energy at the nursery, and staff enthusiastically engage children. Children feel safe and secure and talk with staff about their home life. Older children laugh and wait their turn as they find which number fits the shape on the page. Staff support their choices and offer ideas, which children respond well to. Children independently find toys to play with. They talk on pretend phones to their friends at the other side of the room.

Staff are friendly and welcoming. This helps babies to settle quickly and engage with their peers. Babies hand each other cards and babble happily as staff repeat the words clearly. Toddlers run outside and put stones in buckets, shaking them to hear the sounds. Children stop and look for a helicopter flying in the sky as staff point it out to those who cannot see it.

Parents are really happy with the nursery and love coming to stay-and-play sessions. They feel involved in their children's learning and progression. Parents love hearing them singing songs at home that they have learned at nursery.

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

• Overall, the manager assesses the quality of learning well and implements strategies to improve. For example, she identified mathematics as an area for improvement, and now staff in all rooms successfully weave this into children's play. During water play, staff count lemons that children find.
• Oral health is a priority, and resources support children's understanding of health. For instance, they enjoy making pretend stew with real fruit and vegetables. They look at each other's teeth and pretend to brush them.
• Learning is sequenced across the nursery. For example, children enjoy self-registration during circle time. Toddlers recognise their picture, and older children begin to recognise their name. This supports their literacy development.
• Children have very good independence skills, and all children are beginning to develop confidence in feeding themselves. This is demonstrated when babies use spoons and lidded cups and when pre-school children self-serve and use named cups.
• Children are very comfortable and happy. They respect other children and build friendships. Toddlers snuggle into staff for stories. Older toddlers hug after skipping in a circle singing 'Ring a Ring o' Roses'. Pre-school children play hide and seek together and say, 'excuse me', when reaching for paint.
• Children remain engaged in activities for long periods. There is lots to choose from, including gluing and sticking, sensory activities, and water and flour to explore. Staff expand learning opportunities for children, and, as a result, children stay focused for longer.
• Overall, staff support children's language well. They make eye contact and get down to children's level when talking to them. Staff plan purposeful activities to develop children's next steps. However, the manager does not always monitor practice well enough and recognise when strategies to support children's communication skills are not fully effective. For example, she does not always recognise when staff do not pause when communicating with children to allow them to think and respond to questions.
• Parents are really happy with the service. They love the trips to the theatre, which expand children's experiences. A new system to communicate regularly with parents is very successful. Parents like how easy it is to share information.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully supported and included. Staff work well with other professionals and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) to ensure that children progress well with their targets.
• Staff know children well, including what they have achieved and what they need to learn next. They have good processes to support any areas of concern and when children move to the next room or on to school.
• Staff have some understanding of how to help children to comprehend concepts like diversity. However, they have not fully explored how children can develop a deeper understanding of their own heritage and culture as they play and learn.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor teaching more effectively to identify and address minor weaknesses in practice, to raise children's achievements to a higher level
• help children to develop a more in-depth understanding of what they have in common with others and learn about the diverse world they live in.