Jack In The Box Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle well and enjoy themselves in this nurturing setting. They invite staff into their play, and together they hide eggs for an Easter egg hunt. Older children identify the patterns and numbers on the eggs as they look for places to hide them in the garden. Children enjoy sharing the story of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. Staff link their learning effectively as children manipulate play dough to create caterpillars and butterflies. Children learn about growth as they experience the life cycle of the caterpillar first hand.

Younger children benefit from active play. They develop their sense of balance and become more agile as they climb and slide using equipment that provides challenge. Children become confident movers, build their core strength and develop use of their large muscles. This supports the development of children's gross motor skills and awareness of their own bodies.

Babies are nurtured, and staff provide respectful care. Staff get to know babies well, and this helps them to plan effectively for their individual needs. Babies enjoy sharing books with staff. They snuggle in closely and point to the pictures in simple story books. Babies smile and giggle as staff members make animal noises. This helps them to make connections and supports the development of early language.

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

• Children use dough to make shapes that replicate the caterpillar and butterfly in the story. They show pride in their creations as they show them to staff and their peers. Children use rolling pins and other tools to make marks on the dough. Staff model how to roll the dough in their hands. They provide learning invitations for children to follow. Staff support children to develop their hand strength and hand-eye coordination skills. This, together with sharing stories, promotes children's emerging literacy development very well.
• Overall, staff interactions with children are responsive. They take time to build on what children already know and can do. For example, as children engage in filling and transporting buckets of sand, staff use mathematical language such as 'full' and 'heavy'. However, there are times when staff do not respond effectively to children's play cues or fascinations. This means, staff do not always make best use of children's interests to fully extend their learning.
• Leaders have developed a curriculum that is ambitious for all children. They support staff to embed this effectively. Each day, staff plan interesting activities across the indoor and outdoor learning environments. However, occasionally, staff do not successfully carry out what they have identified they want children to learn. Consequently, some children's learning is not maximised as staff intend.
• Staff are strong role models for children's communication and language development. They consistently use alternative communication tools such as simple sign language and widget boards. This helps all children to engage purposefully in learning experiences. Staff ensure that children hear the correct pronunciation of words. They consistently offer children time to think and respond during back-and-forth conversations. This helps children to develop as confident communicators.
• Staff consistently support children to make good behaviour choices in their play. They have high expectations of all children and these are communicated clearly through some simple 'golden' rules. Children respond positively to staff and promptly follow instructions. They demonstrate kindness to their friends as they take turns and engage successfully in cooperative play.
• Children have many opportunities throughout the day to develop their independence. Staff provide exactly the right amount of support to help children carry out tasks for themselves. For example, staff teach younger children how to come down the stairs safely in order to access the outdoor play space. Babies are encouraged to use warm flannels to wipe their hands and faces after eating.
• Staff report high levels of well-being. They feel valued and supported by responsive leaders. This helps staff to remain motivated and they engage well in professional development opportunities. Together, leaders and staff continuously reflect on the provision in order to drive improvement.
• Parents appreciate the caring staff and leaders. They are thrilled with the amount of time that children spend learning outdoors. Parents are very happy with the progress that children make during their time in the setting. They feel well supported by the staff team, who share useful strategies to extend children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to plan and implement clear learning intentions to help children make the best possible progress
• strengthen staff's skills in recognising and responding to children's interests and fascinations in order to extend learning even further.