Jolly Giraffes Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The passionate and enthusiastic owners, who also manage the nursery, want the very best for every child. Together with staff, they share an ethos that values all children and places their well-being at the centre of everything they do. Children are keen and confident learners who benefit greatly from the appealing and carefully thought-out activities that staff provide. The atmosphere is extremely positive and cheery. Children chatter happily and giggle and squeal with excitement as they play, showing that they have a lot of fun in the nursery.

Babies and toddlers are curious and inquisitive. They become immersed in play. For example, they watch with wonder as coloured ice cubes dissolve in a mixture of flour and water. Older children show excellent early mathematics skills. They confidently talk about capacity and correctly count as many as 16 orange segments when mixing ingredients in the water tray. Children are very proud to show visitors their 'memory book'. They remember what they have learned previously and talk about what they like to do best in the nursery.

Children form close relationships with key staff who know them very well. Staff's genuine love of their work is clearly evident. Their caring and supportive approach helps children to develop high levels of self-esteem and to feel safe and secure.

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

• Curriculum plans are centred around children's interests. Staff use their very good knowledge of typical child development to skilfully support children's learning during self-chosen play. All children make very good progress. Pre-school children are well prepared for their move to Reception Year. Local teachers say that 'Jolly's children start school eager and ready to learn.'
• Children are independent and resilient learners who solve their own problems during play. For example, two-year-old children keep trying when they find it tricky to build a bridge. They work together and discover that they need to move boxes closer so that the bridge will not topple over.
• Managers and staff evaluate children's progress. They use their findings to help them to shape the curriculum in line with children's learning needs. They are currently supporting staff to model more rich language to help children to extend their vocabulary even further. However, this is not yet embedded consistently across the staff team. That said, children are confident and fluent talkers.
• Staff teach children to value what makes them unique and to understand and respect others. Children show respect to staff and their friends and they behave remarkably well. Children learn about different cultures and traditions, for example when they try foods from around the world.
• The chef provides home-cooked meals that meet children's nutritional needs extremely well. Staff provide plenty of physical play and exercise in the 'movement room', such as yoga. This helps to promote children's good health. However, staff do not always teach children about how to keep themselves healthy, for example, by discussing healthy food choices and the reasons for good hygiene routines.
• Children learn to take some responsibility for their own safety. For example, they identify that it could be dangerous to squirt water close to their friends' eyes. Staff teach children to use tools safely. They carefully use a knife to cut fruit, under close supervision from staff.
• Managers provide a comprehensive programme of support and coaching for staff. There are plenty of opportunities for professional development to help staff to enhance their teaching skills. Staff feel valued and happy in their role.
• There is a strong community spirit between parents and staff. Parents visit the nursery often for holiday celebrations and special occasions. They are extremely eager to share their very positive comments about the nursery, and they particularly compliment the 'family vibe'. Staff share highly detailed information with parents about their children's learning, which helps them to extend this further at home.
• Additional funding is used incisively to help those children who need extra support with some aspects of their learning. For example, it has been used to access professional therapy services to support children with speech and language delay. This helps children to catch up quickly in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• embed the plans to strengthen teaching to help children develop a wider vocabulary
• teach children even more about ways to keep themselves healthy.