Little Blossoms Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at nursery happy and excited. They are confident to leave their parents to start the day. Staff show a warm and nurturing welcome to every child on arrival. They adapt their greeting effectively to suit children's individual needs and ensure a smooth handover. Staff know and understand children very well. This is reflected in the warm relationships they have with all age groups. Staff support children's special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. Staff adapt the routine to ensure they include every child and support them to make progress. Staff assist children to communicate their needs using now and next picture cards to support their communication skills.

Staff have high expectations of all children, and provide an ambitious curriculum for them, based on the children's individual needs. Staff plan activities for children based on what they know about their progress and interests. Children behave well and understand the boundaries of the nursery. Staff devise positive techniques to help children to manage their own behaviour. Older children are inquisitive and confidently chat to visitors about what they are doing. Children communicate what they enjoy and who their favourite staff members are.

All children are encouraged to explore the range of stimulating activities on offer. Younger children are encouraged to explore sensory play, and are supported with their physical development to move around the nursery safely. Older children are encouraged by staff to develop self-help skills and independence in preparation for school. Staff are sensitive to the needs of young babies and have a gentle approach to the emotional well-being of younger children.

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

• Leadership and management are strong. Leaders and the manager have a clear direction for the nursery. They have worked effectively to ensure that staff provide a challenging and individual curriculum for all children. Children's access to positive images is not always reflected throughout the nursery. Furthermore, staff do not always consider the languages children speak at home or ways that they can incorporate these into activities.
• The manager encourages staff to support children to achieve good progress when at nursery. This includes helping young babies who are reluctant to participate in painting to make small steps as they begin to feel the texture of paint on their hands. Staff work towards building this up gradually to enable babies to develop confidence during messy play.
• Staff spontaneously adapt planning and routines. For example, they respond to a spider that appears in the nursery. Children excitedly talk to staff about the size, shape and number of legs the spider has.
• Leaders support staff extremely well. Supervisions and staff meetings are focused on professional development, and staff's well-being is supported by leaders. Staff speak highly of the manager and feel supported professionally and personally. This is reflected in the respect staff have for the leaders and for each other.
• Leaders, the manager and staff are reflective in their daily practice. They continuously look at areas to improve the nursery. They involve staff, parents and children in their ongoing reflection. During the pandemic, it was identified that parent communication had significantly reduced. The manager introduced a digital system that raised the standards of parent engagement. Both parents and staff comment positively on how effective the digital communication has improved parent interaction.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak positively and passionately about the nursery. Parents and grandparents say they are fully informed about their children's progress and learning at nursery. This includes children with SEND, who have gained increasing confidence.
• Staff's training and development are highly effective. All staff undertake regular training and discuss how they use their learning to improve their daily practice. The manager ensures that staff are deployed well across the nursery to minimise any hazards or risks. Any hazards identified are efficiently rectified by leaders.
• Continuity of care is consistent across all ages. Staff work effectively together to ensure that children move to their new room smoothly. Staff support the children in a gradual process to prepare them for the next part of their journey to a new room.
• Staff support children effectively and understand how each child prefers to learn. Staff work closely with parents and professionals to support children with SEND and medical needs well. Staff ensure that children receive the help they need in nursery, and train key staff to support children's medical needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• gain more information when children first start at the nursery about the languages that they hear or speak at home, and consider ways to support this in everyday activities
• provide children with opportunities to experience positive images of children and families from a range of cultures and backgrounds and with special educational needs and/or disabilities.