Kingsmead Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

There is a very clear shared vision for children's learning and development, linked to nursery's values and parents' involvement. There are high expectations for all children to make good progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) .

Children's sensory development is a strong focus for staff. For instance, children explore paint, shaving foam, modelling dough and dried rice. They thoroughly enjoy playing with water, compost and fresh carrots and use their imagination while pretending to make 'soup'. Staff help children to learn about their own safety. For instance, when under close supervision, older children enjoy learning how to use a firepit in the outdoor play area.

Children behave well. Staff have a caring and patient approach and give children lots of cuddles and reassurance, which enables them to feel settled and secure. Staff patiently encourage children to get involved in the activities and respond to their interests. Older children take part in yoga and music-and-movement activities. They learn to balance and ride two-wheeled bicycles, and develop strength in their arms as they swing from low-level gym apparatus. Babies confidently pull themselves to standing to reach and explore chiffon scarves and climb on and off large foam blocks.

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

• The nursery manager works effectively with staff to make continuous improvement to children's care and learning. Together they have reorganised and significantly improved the indoor and outdoor play areas to create an exciting, well-organised learning environment that motivates children to learn and develop the skills they need for the future.
• Staff often praise children during their play. They give children stickers to celebrate their achievements, clearly explaining to them what they have done well. Children feel good about themselves and develop good self-confidence. For instance, when they decide to build an aeroplane using construction resources and understand the stickers have been given to them for working together, sharing and taking turns.
• Staff support children to be helpful and develop good independence. For instance, they encourage children to choose, wash and cut up fresh fruit to eat at snack time. Additionally, staff ask children to be 'busy bee helpers', on a daily turn-taking basis, where they are responsible for laying the lunch tables and giving plates of food to the younger children. Older children queue up to be served and independently carry a tray, cutlery and their food to the table which supports them to be ready for starting school.
• Staff help children who speak English as an additional language to make good progress in their communication and language development. They introduce activities that inspire children to talk in their home languages as well as in English. For instance, they put on traditional clothing and initiate dancing activities and discussions that relate to the children's families' cultural celebrations.
• The manager is a positive role model for staff and children. She works hard to train staff, influence their practice and support their continuous development. Staff join in children's play, help them to use the resources and overall extend their learning and development. However, children are not consistently challenged to make the best possible progress.
• The manager fully understands her role as special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). She works closely with staff, parents and other agencies who regularly visit the nursery to help children with SEND make good progress. The SENCo runs a daily communication and language group that successfully helps children to catch up in their speech and language development.
• With parents' consent, the manager sends other early years settings that children attend information about their individual needs. However, she does not establish two-way communication with these settings to further support continuity in children's care and learning.
• Staff talk with children during their play, ask them questions and build on their language development. Most children are confident communicators. However, staff do not consistently give children time to think and respond before asking them further questions. This reduces the opportunities for children to remember and talk about what they have already learned to further develop their communication skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop all staff knowledge and understanding of how to extend and challenge children's learning further so that they make the best possible progress
• coach and support all staff to review and adapt their practice to further develop children's communication skills and language development
• strengthen partnership with other early years settings that children attend to support continuity in their care and learning.