Kids Inc Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children in this setting are safe and secure. Staff organise children's days around familiar routines. This helps children to understand what their day will involve. The nursery has a strong key-person system. Managers strive to ensure that children have continuity of care from the same key person, until children move from one room to the next. In addition, parents have the option to take their children into their playrooms at the start of each day. Staff meet children's care needs effectively and maintain good hygiene practices. For example, older children learn about the importance of good oral hygiene. Staff are respectful to babies and ask for consent before cleaning their noses. This has a positive impact on all children's health and well-being.

Staff are patient, and give children gentle reminders to help them to respect and listen to each other. Most children have access to activities and experiences which follow their interests. For example, when some children show an interest in space, staff make sure that this theme occupies the pre-school room. Staff embrace children's ideas and children engage in their learning. This has a positive impact on their behaviour.

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

• Managers plan an ambitious curriculum and children benefit from meaningful learning. However, some learning intentions for pre-school children's mathematical development are too challenging for them. This means that having a sharper focus on children's prime areas of learning could even further improve children's quality of education.
• Staff celebrate children's own diverse backgrounds and cultures. However, the managers have not put in place strategies to help staff and parents to fully understand the importance of children being able to use their home languages, alongside English, as they learn. Embracing children's home languages in their learning may strengthen children's next steps in learning.
• Staff know children well and, overall, plan activities to support their learning further. For example, they organise activities to help children to develop creatively. However, at times, staff do not consider all children's abilities and preferences and adapt activities precisely for every child's interests. Therefore, some children do not have enough opportunities to further develop their own interests.
• Skilful staff create inviting environments for babies. For example, babies delight in making babbling sounds, such as 'b, b, b', as they play in a bubbly water activity. Staff playfully model language for them. This has a positive impact on babies' early speaking and listening skills.
• Staff plan an enticing and stimulating nursery environment. The spaces are well- laid out and resourceful. For example, the babies' outdoor area is a small balcony, where babies can stretch, crawl, and walk. Young and older children have access to a rooftop garden. The environment promotes children's physical development.
• Children demonstrate good use of their small and large muscles. All children enjoy a selection of healthy snacks. Pre-school children decide when they want to have their snack. They serve themselves fruit, cereal and pour their milk. This demonstrates their good independence skills.
• Children's care needs are met. Babies have a calm space for daytime sleeping. For example, they sleep when they need to and wake up naturally from their naps. In addition, the chef and staff have a thorough understanding of children's dietary requirements and allergies. This promotes children's health, safety and physical development.
• The manager understands the value of staff supervision sessions and staff meetings. They are completed regularly to give staff opportunities to discuss child development and safeguarding. Staff's well-being is important to the manager and she invests time to be available to support them. This supports good outcomes for children.
• Staff inform parents of their children's progress and their next steps in learning. Parents are complimentary about the care that their children receive. Parents who are new to the setting say that they feel comfortable and reassured at how quickly their children settle. This has a positive impact on children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• adapt the planning and implementation of activities for pre-school children, to continue to promote the prime areas of learning
• build staff's understanding of the importance of using children's home languages and extend their confidence in explaining this to parents
• support staff to consider the individual interests of children more when planning activities, so that children become even more engaged in their learning.