Little Robins Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and excited as they arrive at nursery. Staff welcome children, and they settle quickly. Children find their name card and hang it on the registration tree. Staff support children to recognise their own picture and name card above their coat pegs.

There is a clear curriculum in place, and all children make good progress. Staff plan activities that capture children's interest and attention. For example, children learn to cut salad ingredients and prepare their own salad bowl. This helps to develop their understanding of how to use a knife safely. Children name familiar salad items and also lesser-known items, such as radishes. Throughout the activity, children show high levels of perseverance. They cut avocados, lettuce and tomatoes. Staff give children the time to practise their cutting skills. Children are confident and receive encouragement to keep trying.

Staff generally manage children's behaviour well. In turn, children display a positive attitude to learning. They are kind to their friends and interact well with each other. Children learn to understand and manage their feelings. Staff read a book to them about a colour monster, and children use a colour sensory bottle to show how they feel. For example, the yellow bottle means they feel happy like the sun and the red bottle means they feel angry.

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

• Leaders and managers have made great strides since the last inspection. There is a clear vision for the development of the nursery, which staff and parents support. Staff demonstrate their understanding of children's development. They confidently explain what children need to learn next. Managers are now very effective at monitoring staff practice and training needs. This helps to raise the quality of teaching and learning further.
• Routines in the nursery now run smoothly. Staff manage the transition between activities and lunchtime more effectively. For example, children help staff to set the table for mealtimes or tidy away activities. The routines now in place promote children's self-care and independence in readiness for school. For example, they pour their own drinks and learn when to wash their hands.
• There are close partnerships with parents. Leaders and managers provide the parents with curriculum information. This helps to support learning and development at home. Parents speak highly of the manager and staff team. They comment on the effective communication between staff and parents. This includes how well informed they are about their child's day and progress. Regular parent meetings ensure that the communication between home and nursery benefits children's development.
• Staff are good role models. They communicate clearly to children and teach them new words as they play, for example when they read stories and support imaginary play. They also join in and play alongside children, modelling language. Staff interactions include open-ended questions, which extends children's learning. However, sometimes, staff do not allow enough time for children to reply, to strengthen their communication and language skills even further.
• Staff support children's mathematical skills throughout the day in a variety of ways. At mealtimes, staff encourage children to develop an understanding of empty and full as they pour drinks. Children practise solving number problems as they sort picture cards into healthy and unhealthy foods and estimate which group contains the most and least foods.
• Leaders and managers have clear expectations for children's behaviour. This includes the introduction of circle-time rules, which are clearly visible in the rooms. Although staff do sometimes refer to the rules, they do not always remind children of them. For example, during group time, they do not consistently remind children to listen to what others have to say.
• Leaders have taken great steps to design a curriculum that is tailored to each child's individual needs. They have supported staff to embed this curriculum in practice. Leaders use the curriculum to enhance and widen experiences for children. They provide children with a wealth of extra activities, such as yoga, dance, Spanish lessons and football. Staff celebrate and value different cultural and religious events.
• Staff promote children's physical development very well. Children develop large-muscle skills as they climb and balance outside. They strengthen their small-muscle skills as they mould and roll dough and mark make with paints and crayons.
• Children develop a good understanding of being healthy and safe. They learn about the importance of road safety as they go on walks in the local area. Staff talk to children about a healthy lifestyle. Children learn about the importance of oral hygiene and looking after their bodies.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• encourage staff to use circle-time rules more frequently to improve children's listening skills during group time
• support staff to give children more time to think and respond to questions.