Maebrooke Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide children with a warm and caring welcome. They build strong bonds with all the children who attend. Children show confidence to try new things and explore their environment with determination. This demonstrates they feel safe and secure. Children develop their understanding of the world around them as they go on bug hunts in the garden. They eagerly participate in the activity and share their excitement with their friends when they successfully find all the insects on their list.

The staff know their key children well. They provide a range of resources to develop children's curiosity for learning and build on their interests. For example, children develop their imagination as they use cardboard boxes and blankets to build their den so they can sit in them with their friends to read stories together.

Personal, social and emotional development is at the heart of the curriculum that staff provide for children. Staff weave this through the activities and experiences they plan for the children. Children show positive attitudes to their learning and become confident communicators. They proudly show visitors the toys they like and share what they enjoy the most about attending nursery.

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

• Leaders and management support staff exceptionally well. Staff receive regular supervision meetings to discuss their key children, professional development opportunities and any personal or work-related concerns. Staff share they feel supported in their role. Management embed a culture where they value and include everyone in the decisions being made about what they want to provide for their children.
• The nursery special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) is knowledgeable and committed to his role. Staff and the SENDCo act promptly when they have concerns about children's development. The SENDCo works effectively with parents, staff and other professionals to ensure appropriate target plans are in place for each child, to support them in making good progress.
• In general, children behave well. Staff encourage children to listen and be kind to their friends. However, occasionally staff are not always consistent with their approach to behaviour management with younger children. For example, when staff observe children not behaving as expected, they are not always clear and consistent with the messages they give to children. Therefore, not all children consistently learn about the expectations for their behaviour.
• Parent partnership is extremely effective. Staff use what they know about the child including their home life to tailor their care and education. Parents highlight they feel treated with an equal amount of compassion, kindness and professionalism, and all staff place a high emphasis on getting to know each child's needs. Staff provide guidance and additional resources for parents to promote consistency with children's learning and development at home.
• Staff support children to gain the appropriate skills in preparation for when they start school. Children read stories to learn about their emotions and how to manage these to help build their resilience and confidence. They develop their independence when dressing themselves to go out into the garden or when serving their food at mealtimes.
• Teaching is good. Confident staff embed children's learning as they explore the range of activities. However, at times some less confident staff do not adapt their teaching to fully allow children the time they need to process questions and develop their thinking and problem-solving skills. For example, children enjoy making play dough and they each take it in turn to add ingredients into the mixing bowl. When the dough becomes too sticky, staff ask children questions to develop their understanding of how they might soften this. However, some staff are too quick to respond for children and do not always allow them the time they need to process the questions asked and help develop their skills even further.
• Children enjoy their time in the garden. They access a range of physical activities to develop their skills, such as balancing on their bikes or climbing the steps to go down the slide. Children form friendships as they pretend to sell ice creams from their shop window under the climbing frame. Children giggle in delight as they choose their favourite topping and pretend to eat their ice cream.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide consistency with behaviour management for younger children to help them understand the expectations for their behaviour
• support less confident staff to enhance their teaching skills to help children develop their problem-solving and thinking skills even further.