Kid's Corner Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Before children start attending the nursery, they are offered settling-in sessions. This helps them to become familiar with the environment and the staff. Staff find out about children's interests and offer them familiar toys to help them feel emotionally secure. Children show positive relationships with staff, asking to cuddle them. Staff model positive behaviour. They give children gentle reminders to use good manners when they ask for things, such as paint. This encourages children to be polite.

Children have opportunities to learn how to care for animals, such as the nursery pet rabbit. They give the rabbit broccoli to eat, and are reminded by staff to use 'kind hands' when they feed it. Pre-school children thoroughly enjoy being physically active in the garden. They are supported by staff to take and manage risks safely when they walk across a horizontal ladder. Staff encourage children to solve problems when they tell them it is 'wobbly'. Children suggest resting one end of the ladder on a tyre to make it sturdier. Children in the toddler room enjoy looking at books. They ask staff to read the same book a number of times, helping them learn the story through repetition. Staff ask children to recognise images on the pages and encourage them to lift the flaps in books. This helps them take part in the storytelling.

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

• The manager and staff have made improvements since the last inspection to raise outcomes for children. A more rigorous induction procedure is in place to support new staff. This helps them to have a thorough understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Staff in the toddler room have received support from the local authority advisor to help boost their confidence to provide learning opportunities for children.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. For example, staff in the toddler room repeat words that children say. This enables them to hear the correct pronunciation of words. For example, when children say, 'I can see a spider' staff reply, 'Can you see a spider?'
• The manager spends additional funding for children effectively. For example, all-in-one suits for children are purchased, which enables them to play in the garden in all weathers. This allows children to follow their interests to play outdoors.
• Staff utilise the facilities in the local community to extend children's experiences. For example, they take children to the library to look at books, supporting their literacy development. When children show interest in mechanisms and trains, staff take them to watch how the train barriers go up and down.
• Staff observe and assess children's development and identify how they can follow children's interests and support their progress. However, occasionally when pre-school children show an interest in role-play experiences, some staff do not support their play. This results in some children losing interest and not building on their imaginative skills.
• The manager and staff promote children's independence. For example, children in the toddler room are asked to put on and take off their shoes and boots when they move from indoors to outdoors. Pre-school children are asked to pour their drinks and serve themselves meals at lunchtime. This contributes to them learning skills that will help them in the future.
• Staff have 'golden rules' that include reminding children to use 'kind hands' and kind words. This helps children to understand what is expected of them. Staff praise children's achievements, helping to raise their self-esteem. For example, they give pre-school children a high five when they work as a team to move a toy barbecue.
• Before children move on to school, the manager attends transition meetings with teachers to share information about children's development. Teachers from the schools are invited to the nursery to meet the children, helping children to become familiar with the person who will be caring for them. However, this partnership working is not as effective with all parents. Staff do not support all parents to be involved in their children's learning in the nursery and at home.
• The food offered to children is freshly prepared. Staff help children to learn how some foods are grown, sitting together and holding discussions at lunchtime. Parents comment that their children love the food the nursery provides.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff in the pre-school room to strengthen the support they offer children to help them build on their imaginative experiences
• strengthen opportunities to encourage all parents to be involved with their children's learning in the nursery and at home.