Kidz Day Nursery Middleham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are cared for in a welcoming and exceptionally well-resourced environment. Older children hurry excitedly into the nursery. They respond to staff's cheery welcome with beaming smiles, eager for their day to begin. Most babies separate well from parents. They contentedly hold out their arms towards a member of staff. For those babies who are less sure, staff offer warm hugs and comforting words. This helps babies to feel safe, secure and settle quickly into the nursery. Children have tremendous fun as they lead their own learning. For example, children fill pipettes with water and squeeze them to make patterns on the floor outdoors. Children laugh delightedly as they squirt small balls with water and watch as the balls move. Children readily play together and work as a team to achieve their goals. For example, children discuss who will pour water down the tubes, and who will hold the boats to catch the water.

Staff have high expectations for all children. Babies delight in practising their developing skills. They work out how to make vehicles move and spend time pushing trucks backwards and forwards. Babies smile with delight and happily accept the praise given by staff in recognition of their achievements. Toddlers show excellent problem-solving skills. For instance, they try to scoop pasta but the pasta moves as they scoop. Toddlers concentrate as they realise they can pick the pasta up with their fingers and put it onto the scoops. Children who missed being in the nursery because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, have readily adjusted to returning to nursery and their development is flourishing.

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

• Staff know children well and understand their developmental needs. For example, they plan many different ways for children to practise their mark-making skills. Staff encourage children to use chalk on wall boards and on the ground outside. Staff describe how this activity will help to develop children's finger muscles, to help children to later hold a pencil when they go to school.
• Staff skilfully support children's physical development. They provide opportunities for children to try things themselves, such as negotiating steps in the outdoor area. For example, babies work out how to put their hands on the steps before lifting their legs up. They give huge beaming smiles and are extremely proud of their achievements. Older children step in and out of large tyres. They know to take care not to bump into others and carefully navigate the space around them. Older children demonstrate that they have a respect for others and a good spatial awareness.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well. They know to work in close partnership with a wide range of other professionals to ensure that children and their families get the support they need.
• Staff teach children good hygiene practices. For example, as children wash their hands they tell staff they are 'washing the germs away'.
• Children's develop a love of books. Staff read stories with enthusiasm and skill. They use different tones of voice, give children time to listen to what has been said, and encourage children to look at the pictures and ask questions. Babies show their developing imagination skills as they pretend to read books to soft toys.
• Children are provided with healthy snacks and cooked lunches. However, staff do not use mealtimes as opportunities to further develop children's understanding of keeping themselves healthy. For example, they do not consistently support children to learn about different foods and make healthy choices in what they eat.
• Parents praise the nursery. They applaud the support given by the management team and staff throughout the period of time when children did not attend, due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Parents value staff continuing to contact themselves and their children through online communication.
• On occasions, staff do not use mathematical language consistently across the nursery. This means that some children are not supported to gain a good depth of understanding of mathematics, in particular of numbers and counting.
• The management team and staff are proud to be a part of this vibrant nursery. Strong teamwork and shared high aspirations for the children are at the heart of everything staff do.
• The management team appreciates the advantages of working with other professionals to develop a stable approach to children's care and learning. Exceptionally strong links are in place with the local school to enable smooth transitions for children's future learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan more opportunities to help children to develop an understanding of making healthy choices in what they eat
• support staff to develop consistency in developing children's mathematical skills in using numbers and counting.