Kiddycare Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children know they are valued and cared for in this welcoming and happy environment. Staff greet children with a cheery 'good morning' as children arrive. Children enter the nursery with big smiles on their faces, ready for their learning to begin. Children's love of books is fostered through the skilful ways that staff bring stories to life. They eagerly join in with a story about a bear hunt. Children excitedly move around the outdoor environment. They laugh and giggle as they pretend to 'swish' through long grass, 'splash' in the river, and 'squelch' through mud.

Babies learn that they are important as they understand their individual needs will be met. Babies know that when they lift their arms up, staff will recognise that they need a cuddle. Babies have expressions of contentment on their faces as they happily snuggle into the arms of staff. This shows that babies are happy, secure and well settled. Babies show their pleasure at learning to take measured risks outdoors. They laugh as they climb up and slide down small outdoor equipment. Staff say, 'You can do it, you can climb up,' as they encourage babies to try for themselves. This helps babies to develop confidence and a can-do attitude to learning.

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

• Children confidently design their own play as they experiment with cars and guttering. Children work together and use positional language as they play. They talk about placing the guttering higher to make the cars go faster, and the guttering lower to make the cars slow down. Children jump up and down with delight and shout, 'I did it, look, I did it,' as their cars go down the guttering. Their faces glow with delight as staff clap in celebration of their achievements.
• Staff promote children's communication skills well. They connect words to movements to develop younger children's vocabulary. For example, as babies mark make with brushes and water, staff encourage them to 'reach up higher' and 'paint down to the floor'.
• Children learn to understand how their behaviour can impact on others. Staff gently explain to younger children about sharing and taking turns. Older children are happy to wait their turn until resources become available.
• Parents are very complimentary about the nursery and the learning opportunities that are provided for children. They praise the support given by the manager and staff throughout the time the nursery was closed due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Parents emphasise the value to their children and themselves of maintaining contact through online communication.
• Children happily chatter together as they water the vegetables and herbs they have planted. They fill their own watering cans and talk about plants being
• 'thirsty' and needing to have 'lots of water to drink'. This helps to develop children's understanding of how to care for the natural environment.
• Older children naturally bring numbers into their play. They work together as a group, searching around the nursery to collect objects of certain colours. Children then count the number of objects they have gathered. However, staff do not use children's play and routines effectively to further develop children's understanding of numbers and counting.
• Staff make ongoing assessments of children's achievements. Consequently, they know the children well and understand their developmental needs. For example, as children make their own parcels, they fold paper around boxes and learn to cut adhesive tape and make bows with string. Staff describe how this activity will help to develop children's finger muscles and aid their pencil control in preparation for their transition to school.
• The nursery has adapted daily routines, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure the good health of children. Drop-off and collection arrangements have been altered so that parents no longer come into the nursery and additional cleaning measures have been implemented.
• The manager values everyone's contribution to the nursery and places a strong emphasis on the staff's well-being. All staff are involved in reflecting on the nursery and planning for changes to improve. For example, they plan to source more natural materials to further encourage children's curiosity.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported very well. Staff have established highly effective partnership working with other professionals. They share information, which helps to provide a consistent approach to children's care and learning. Additional funding is used well to support vulnerable children.
• At times, the noise level in some parts of the indoor space makes it hard for children to hear and concentrate. This means that children do not always get the best learning experiences from their play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop consistency at using numbers and counting during children's play and routines
• help staff to consider the impact of noise levels on children's learning.