Kids R Kids Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle well into the nursery and the care of the experienced staff team. Staff spend time getting to know their key children and establishing strong bonds with them. This gives children the emotional security they need to be confident learners. Staff make the most of opportunities when numbers are low, for example, at the start and end of the day, to bring all the children together. At these times, the youngest children play alongside their older peers, which helps their development. Older children behave beautifully towards babies, treating them gently and including them in their play. These opportunities for mixed-age learning give older children the opportunity to be positive role models.

Children are helpful and independent because staff expect them to learn to do things by themselves and play an active role in the day-to-day routine. Children know to fetch their aprons when it is time for messy play, they go to the sink to wash their hands when required and, when they are thirsty, they use the water dispenser by themselves. Sometimes staff need help, for example, to fetch chairs or an extra table, and children keenly offer to contribute. Children at this nursery develop high levels of self-care, independence and confidence, which will support their eventual move to school.

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

• Staff know the children they care for well and they observe them at play to determine the next steps in their learning. They use their knowledge of children's interests to plan engaging activities and experiences. Children enjoy both adult initiated and child-led activities, including craft, messy play, stories and songs. This means that children are fully engaged and enjoy their time playing, exploring and learning throughout the day.
• The manager and her team understand the curriculum they want to deliver. They work together to determine how they will ensure all children will access and enjoy a range of learning opportunities. Indoors, there are clearly defined areas supporting children across all areas of learning. Children also access two outdoor areas, including a wildlife garden. However, although children are very keen to go outside and play, the outdoor areas are not as well developed as the indoor provision to support children who prefer to learn outside.
• Parents can choose to provide a packed lunch or meals provided by the nursery. The manager gives parents information on healthy eating and monitors food brought to the nursery for allergens and nutritional value. Meals and snacks provided by the nursery are freshly prepared on site from a nutritionally balanced menu. Children eat well and there is always enough for seconds. Staff eat with children which contributes to children's understanding of table manners, healthy eating and positive social mealtimes.
• The nursery manager and her team have regular meetings to discuss how they will organise the setting to meet children's needs. Staff access regular training to improve their skills and knowledge. Adults at this setting are good role models. They are a supportive team and help each other throughout the day. They treat each other with respect and kindness. This supports children's understanding of positive behaviour and how to interact with others.
• Staff find wonderfully creative ways to encourage children's fine motor skills. For example, after snack time, children use scissors to cut banana skins into tiny pieces to fertilise their plants in the wild garden. This is an opportunity for children to develop the small muscles in their hands, work with different textures and learn more about the life cycle. Some of the older children have shown a keen interest in writing and expressing their ideas on paper. Staff have supported this by ensuring children access plenty of mark-making opportunities.
• Parents are highly complimentary of the warm welcome they and their children receive when they arrive at nursery. They appreciate the crafts, pictures and creations their children bring home. Parents feel the nursery supports their children's ability to do things by themselves, their good manners and a strong understanding of respectful behaviour towards others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop outdoor areas further to provide children with more opportunities across all learning areas when they play outside.