Kindercare Day Nursery (Hgte) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff in the nursery provide a good level of early education and care to children who attend. Children make good levels of progress in their learning. An interesting curriculum is in place that helps teach them about topics, such as water pollution and the impact of discarded plastic on marine life.

The curriculum is well planned and sequenced across the different age groups within the nursery. Resources are appropriate for the developmental stages of children within each room and are accessible for children to self-select and revisit as they wish. This gives children the opportunity to make their own decisions. Children learn about aspects of personal hygiene through activities involving toothbrushing and are independent in managing some aspects of their personal care.

Staff help children to have a positive attitude to learning, through giving encouragement and praise. They give clear instructions to children who follow routines well. Children are supported to wait patiently for it to be their turn to have lunch and use manners, such as 'please' and 'thank you'. They are encouraged to complete tasks for themselves, such as putting on their coat and trying to zip it up. Children develop their motor skills through using appropriate cutlery at mealtimes and pouring their own drinks. These activities help children develop confidence in their own abilities. They are observed to join in enthusiastically with tidy-up resources after use.

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

• The physical environment is clean, light and purposeful. The outdoor area is well equipped to help children learn through trial and error with open-ended activities, such as filling and transporting. Coordination and balance skills are developed as children have the space and freedom to run, jump and climb. The emotional well-being of children is important to the nursery team, who use resources, such as puppets depicting different emotions to engage children in discussions about their feelings. Transitions between rooms are managed well, with friendship groups moving together to provide reassurance and support to children. This helps children settle in quickly to their new environment.
• Promoting a love of reading is a key aspect of each day and children are avid listeners. They are able to recall the sequence of key parts from familiar stories. They have a good level of understanding about books, knowing that the illustrator draws the pictures, the author writes the story and that the information about the book is called the 'blurb'.
• Children are competent communicators. Small group time is incorporated into nursery routines, where children learn to listen to the opinions of other children.
• They take turns in conversations and develop respect of other's opinions.
• Children, particularly those with gaps in their learning, are identified at early opportunities. If required, referrals are made to other professionals and external agencies and recommended targets are incorporated into individual support plans. However, staff do not always gain children's attention appropriately or deliver key messages in an effective way. This reduces the impact of such targeted plans.
• Parental feedback is positive with parents reporting that their children are happy, safe, well cared for, and developing well. Parents feel that communications are of high quality and that they are informed about important aspects of the setting, such as not letting people in through the main entrance. Parents describe staff as caring, responsive, and attentive to children's needs, fostering emotional security and well-being. They added that while there has been a high level of staff turnover, that they feel their children are prepared well for attending school on their onward educational journey.
• The leadership team is reflective and strives to provide high levels of care to children and their families. However, on the day of inspection, a higher number of additional staff were present in the nursery. Although, they are all suitable and have relevant qualifications, this information was not easily accessible and took time to clarify. This does not impact on children's safety. In addition, visiting staff members do not have detailed knowledge of children within the nursery. This limits their ability to deliver a fully tailored learning experience, to meet the needs of individual children.
• Delivering supervision meetings to team members is a priority of the management team. They are keen to develop a supportive culture around the mental health and well-being of staff. Ensuring that workloads are manageable and giving staff access to a wealth of training are two ways in which they want staff to feel valued and appreciated.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use more effective strategies to obtain children's attention and ensure they receive a consistent message to help them understand expectations
• tighten procedures when additional staff cover in the nursery to ensure continuity in children's learning and maintain a high-quality and safe environment.