Kenleys Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff give children and their families a warm welcome at this inclusive nursery. They provide a broad and interesting curriculum with a wide range of learning experiences, which children enjoy. Children engage in activities that give them a strong sense of belonging and help them to learn the skills they need for later life. For example, they learn about oral health and the importance of healthy eating. They develop good independence skills as they dress themselves for outside play, pour water from a jug into a cup and use the bathroom independently.

Staff support children's language and communication development well. Children of all ages develop a love of books and stories. They listen to stories and share books with one another as they look at pictures and take it in turns to turn the pages. Overall, staff engage well with the children. As a result, children are confident, independent and motivated to learn. Children's behaviour is good.

Partnerships with parents are strong. Leaders and staff work hard to ensure that parents receive regular information about the provision and their children's progress. This helps parents to feel involved in their children's learning. Parents comment that they feel well supported, for example when their children start school. They have noticed improvements since the last inspection, especially in communication from the provider, and are pleased with their children's progress.

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

• Staff encourage children from a young age to share and take turns. Children explore small hoops, demonstrating good hand-to-eye coordination as they place them carefully and correctly onto a mug stand. As a result, children take turns well and are responsive to one another.
• Babies and younger children build secure attachments with the adults who look after them. Staff get to know the children well and provide for their individual needs effectively. Babies explore and investigate inquisitively. They roll a drum, crawling to chase after it. They spend time turning it and explore why it will not roll when placed flat. This ignites children's curiosity and encourages their problem-solving.
• Staff know the children well and support them effectively, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, staff do not always use spontaneous opportunities during the sessions to provide more targeted support for all children to help them achieve their next steps as quickly as they can.
• Staff introduce mathematical language as children play. They count in routines and activities and introduce shapes and numbers. Older children are beginning to recognise numerals and match these to their value. They identify and draw 2D shapes and make 3D shapes from construction resources. As a result, children develop an interest in mathematics.
• Older children use their imagination well. They take on different roles in the home corner. They pretend to give the dolls food and take them for a walk to the shop, where they fill their bags with different items. Children explore the water and discuss the different creatures they might find. They identify a crab and an octopus. Staff introduce new words, such as 'stingray' and 'otter'. This builds on children's vocabulary successfully.
• Children behave well and listen intently as they play a listening game. They learn the importance of taking turns and raise their hand when they want to speak. They show kindness and respect towards one another.
• Staff sing songs and rhymes and use sign language to support children's understanding. Staff working with the younger children are very sensitive, caring and attentive, meeting children's emotional and personal needs well. Consequently, children are happy and emotionally secure. Staff repeat babies' 'babbling' and use single words in response to younger children. However, this is not done consistently to support children's early spoken language.
• Leaders and staff have worked hard since the last inspection to make significant improvements. Staff have completed training and developed their knowledge and understanding further. The manager carefully chooses carefully training that has the biggest impact on children's learning. Staff are confident to discuss how training has improved their practice, for example through providing children with the time to discuss their ideas and using key words to extend their language further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more targeted and frequent support throughout the sessions to help children achieve their next steps more swiftly
• embed further strategies to develop the youngest children's early spoken language.