Kindred Twickenham Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff build close, strong relationships with children and value each child highly. Children settle very happily at this warm and homely nursery. Staff help babies to settle securely. For instance, they follow babies' home care routines in the nursery, which helps babies to feel happy and secure.

All children make good progress and learn valuable skills in preparation for school. The curriculum is vibrant and interesting, with a good emphasis on physical development. For instance, staff provide effective opportunities for babies and older children to roll, climb and move in different ways in the soft, indoor play gymnasium. Staff offer a wide variety of challenges for children in the outdoor area, such as tunnels that babies crawl through and low platforms for climbing and balancing. Children develop good physical skills. Staff support children's early mathematical development well. For instance, they sing number songs and rhymes and count objects with children as they play. Staff teach children mathematical language, such as 'big' and 'small'. Staff support children's understanding of difference successfully. For example, they teach children about special events, such as Waitangi Day, New Zealand's national day, and other significant cultural or religious events. Staff teach children about different national dishes and provide food from around the world. Children gain good understanding about difference.

Staff have high expectations of children. They manage children's behaviour successfully, for instance by using distraction techniques for babies. Staff use a calm and gentle approach and praise children for positive behaviour. Children behave well.

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

• Children gain good communication, language and literacy skills. For instance, staff use Makaton, which combines signs, symbols and speech, to support children's language development effectively. Staff read a wide range of stories to children and sing action songs and rhymes, which helps to teach children new words.
• Children learn to do things for themselves. For instance, children freely select toys of their choice from accessible baskets. Staff teach younger children how to feed themselves. Older children learn to prepare their own fruit snacks. They share and take turns, for instance when using outdoor toys and resources.
• Staff support children's creative development effectively. For instance, children enjoy watching coloured fibre optics and explore different textures and materials in a sensory room. Staff support children to make pretend ice cream cones and other things from play dough. Children enjoy painting and drawing using a range of tools and materials.
• Staff work with parents successfully. They provide regular updates on children's progress, for example at parents' evenings and through daily staff feedback. Staff help parents to support children's learning, for instance by offering ideas for home activities.
• The manager supports staff well. She meets with each staff member regularly to discuss work and provide support, where needed. The manager spends time in group rooms observing staff and gives feedback to improve performance, if required. She is committed to staff development. For example, staff attend a variety of courses, including a course on sensory play which led to better outcomes for children.
• The manager reflects on all aspects of nursery performance and sets clear goals for improvement. For example, she plans to make more creative use of technology to promote best outcomes for children.
• Staff robustly promote children's safety. For instance, the manager ensures that she keeps up-to-date daily records of numbers of staff and children in each group room to maintain a good ratio of staff to children at all times. Staff carry out daily health and safety checks, covering indoors and outdoors, to reduce the risk of hazards.
• The nursery cook provides children with nutritious meals and snacks which meet their special dietary needs. Staff teach children about the value of eating well, for instance by talking with children as they eat their meals.
• Staff develop children's oral hygiene awareness effectively. For example, they teach children how to keep their teeth and gums healthy during group-time discussions. Children brush their teeth after eating lunch at the nursery.
• Staff have not fully developed children's understanding of the world, particularly in relation to changes in nature, such as how things grow.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop children's understanding of the world further, particularly in relation to changes in nature, such as how things grow.