Kidz Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting happy and ready for the day. They confidently separate from their parents and enjoy the warm and welcoming greeting that they receive from staff. Children build strong relationships with staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in their care. Children eagerly explore the range of toys and play equipment offered in the indoor and outdoor areas. They show good hand-to-eye coordination and problem-solving skills as they make cakes in the mud kitchen. Staff interact and engage well with children during their play. This helps to keep children interested and motivated to learn.

Staff know the children well and understand what they need to do next to make good levels of progress. They promote these next steps in both child-led and adult-led activities. For example, they make the most of learning opportunities during mealtimes, talking to children about healthy portion sizes and helping them to develop their independence skills. Children enjoy the challenge of preparing fresh fruits and pouring their own drinks. They grow their own fruits and vegetables at nursery and learn how take care of these each day. This helps children understand where food comes from and enriches their understanding of the world.

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

• The management and staff team provide an ambitious curriculum, overall, that helps children to flourish. They regularly observe and assess children's learning to monitor their progress. They use this information to identify any possible gaps in a child's development and incorporate these into their educational programmes. This helps to ensure children receive the individual support that they need in their learning.
• Children have rich opportunities to develop their vocabulary and love of reading. For example, staff skilfully encourage children to join in with helping to read stories. Older children respond to the questions that they are asked and offer their ideas about what might happen next. Younger children listen intently to staff as they read. They show their understanding of familiar stories as they act out key themes from 'The Three Little Pigs' during play.
• Children are supported to develop their understanding of number and shapes. For example, children learn the names of shapes that they find in the environment. Staff encourage younger children to count and use numbers in their play. Older children learn how to complete simple addition and subtraction problems. They play shops and work out how much money they need to pay for items and what change they will receive.
• The manager and staff support children who are getting ready for their move to school. For example, they invite their teachers into the setting and go on visits with them to the school. This helps children become familiar with the adults who will be caring for them. However, staff do not build these effective partnerships with all settings children attend to promote continuity in their care and learning.
• Overall, children behave well. Staff consistently reinforce the expectations of children's behaviours. They remind them to use their good manners and encourage them to share, take turns and play cooperatively with others. However, on occasions, some staff do not consistently support younger children to understand the impact their actions have on others.
• Parents give high praise to staff for the level of support their children and family receive. They say that they are kept 'well informed' about their children's learning and care. Parents are especially complimentary of the home learning packs provided to help continue their children's learning at home.
• Staff receive regular supervision meetings and training for their continued professional development. The management team effectively monitor staff's performance through observing them in practice. They use peer observations to evaluate the quality of education and identify any areas to improve. This helps to maintain the good standard and quality of education provided.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen partnerships with other settings children attend and share information that helps to promote continuity in their care and learning
• help staff to consistently support younger children to understand the impact their actions have on others.