KIDS Day Care Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provider, the leaders and the staff create an inclusive and nurturing environment where all children are welcomed and valued. They have established a strong culture of vigilance, where children's welfare is central to all that they do. Leaders and staff have high expectations for all children. They work effectively with families and external professionals to ensure that every child reaches their full potential. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress over time. They enjoy their time at nursery and develop a wide range of key skills in readiness for their move to the next stage of their education.

Staff provide a wide range of meaningful experiences that successfully capture children's attention and motivate them to join in. For example, staff created a magical wizard themed memory game. Older children participated with great excitement and showed good recall as they identified which objects had gone missing. Staff skilfully adapted their support, introducing rich vocabulary and mathematical concepts. This very successfully supported children's attention and reasoning skills.

Leaders and staff are positive role models. They have high expectations and model respectful, calm behaviour. Staff teach children to value and celebrate difference, and inclusion is embedded in daily practice. Children of all ages show enjoyment, grow in confidence and develop good levels of independence. They take turns, listen to others and show pride in their achievements.

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

• Leaders show an unwavering commitment to delivering an inclusive, high-quality provision that ensures that every child reaches their full potential. They monitor the quality of the provision closely and identify priorities for improvement that are firmly focused on improving outcomes for the families who attend. Leaders make effective use of additional funding, including early years pupil premium. For example, they have created an accessible outdoor learning space that has supported children's progress in physical development very successfully.
• Staff benefit from regular supervision and professional development opportunities. Leaders deliver training in imaginative ways that engage staff and build on their knowledge effectively. For example, leaders designed an 'escape room' style puzzle game to deepen staff's knowledge of safeguarding procedures. Staff worked collaboratively to solve clues that are linked to safeguarding scenarios and policy guidance. These creative learning workshops support a sense of teamwork and a real-life application of knowledge in a fun and memorable way.
• Leaders have implemented an ambitious curriculum that generally reflects children's interests well. Regular discussions between key persons, leaders and professionals ensure that gaps in learning are swiftly identified and addressed. However, at times, staff do not introduce the right information to children in the right order during planned activities. Consequently, children find it harder to make the link between what they know already and this new information.
• Children are supported to develop an understanding of personal safety and managing risks in the age-appropriate way. Staff are highly responsive to the needs of babies, offering comfort, stimulation and consistent routines that support secure attachments. However, transitions between routine activities, such as tidy-up time or preparing for meals, are not consistently well managed for older children. As a result, some children become unsettled by the sudden change in the routine.
• Staff meet children's health needs well. They receive specialist training to administer medication safely and practise emergency response scenarios so that they can respond swiftly and with confidence. Children are closely supervised, including at mealtimes. Staff use the outdoor area to support physical development and exploration of the natural world. Children enjoy opportunities to climb, balance and search for pirate treasure.
• Partnerships with families and external professionals are strong. This is reflected in the trusting home nursery partnerships and the regular exchange of information. Leaders recognise the importance of involving parents as partners in children's early education. They have introduced a parent support group, which enables families to share experiences and build a sense of community. This initiative has helped to build strong community links and enhanced parental engagement in children's learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the sequencing of the curriculum to ensure that children's learning builds more clearly and progressively over time
• review the arrangements for the daily routine to support children's smooth transition between activities.