JoJo's Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this calm and purposeful nursery. They build positive relationships with staff, who are warm and caring. Staff have high expectations for children's progress and, overall, are highly effective at meeting their individual needs. The embedded key-worker system means the staff get to know the children well and support them to understand their emotions. These bonds help children to feel safe and secure.

Leaders have envisioned an ambitious and flexible curriculum, carefully sequenced and adapted to children's individual needs. Staff successfully implement the curriculum by following children's interests and gradually weaving learning opportunities into their daily routine. This helps to ensure that children embed skills across all areas of learning.

Staff have high ambitions for children's progress and instil values of kindness and respect. Children speak and listen politely to one another as they play and interact. The implementation of a highly effective pre-school council helps to promote children's voices as they take votes and make choices throughout the day. They are learning to form good relationships with their peers and work alongside each other companionably.

Opportunities for outdoor play are plentiful. Children demonstrate good physical dexterity as they run freely around the secure outdoor area. Staff teach children to take appropriate risks and challenges as they play, building their confidence and resilience and giving them a sense of achievement when they succeed. Children delight in making 'mud slushies' in the mud kitchen and smile with pride as they receive praise for their efforts. They are developing highly positive attitudes to learning.

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

• Leaders are committed to providing a high standard of care and education for children in the local community. They act with integrity in using the funding children receive to ensure it best meets their individual needs. They are passionate and committed to their role and driven to make continuous improvements.
• Leaders forge strong relationships with external professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children with SEND are provided with tailored support and detailed individual plans. This helps all children to make good progress.
• Children who speak English as an additional language progress well. Staff liaise with parents and learn words in their home languages to help children develop a good grasp of English. The recent introduction of resources, such as 'talking tins', helps to strengthen the two-way flow of information and authenticate the learning of new words.
• Staff introduce small-world animals to the trays and repeat the names of the animals for children to copy and learn. Staff use good facial expressions and are nurturing and receptive to children's needs. However, they do not always use a consistent style of questioning that allows children to form a well-thought-out response. This does not help children to consistently develop their thinking skills and vocabulary.
• Children demonstrate a secure knowledge of the daily routine. For instance, during a well-organised lunchtime, children self-serve, pour their own water and practise washing their plates. They sit politely at the table, conversing amicably among themselves about which different foods they enjoy, using a 'foods around the world' display as a talking point. Children are learning about sustainability, healthy eating habits and becoming increasingly independent in managing their personal needs.
• Parent partnerships are highly effective. The two-way flow of information between home and nursery is strengthened using an app, as well as daily feedback from the staff. Leaders strive to offer parents an abundance of information and support them through challenges. For instance, 'take-home' bags are available, covering topics such as biting, toilet training and bereavement. Parents speak highly of the nursery and the staff team and comment that leaders 'go above and beyond' to support them as a family. This helps to ensure that both the child and family's needs are continually met.
• Leaders are highly appreciative of the staff and place a strong emphasis on their well-being. They have implemented a regular programme of supervision and support and offer staff a wealth of incentives to promote a positive and respectful culture throughout the nursery. This helps to promote good outcomes for all children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen consistency among the staff team in using more effective strategies to support children's thinking and language skills.