Maisie Days Ltd T/A The Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, settled and behave well, as they receive care and attention to meet their needs. The provider has recruited a new manager and several new experienced staff. They have all been working closely together to make improvements, resulting in children now benefiting from a good-quality provision.

A newly designed curriculum helps all children develop key skills required to support their future development. Staff monitor children's progress, planning and providing interesting activities to build on their prior knowledge and skills. Staff also utilise opportunities as they arise to further engage and extend children's learning. For example, pre-school children show awe and wonder as they explore the ice and snow outside. Children are amazed when they find a wooden spoon frozen into the ice. Staff encourage children to think about what they can use to break the ice. They also hold discussions about how the ice and snow feels.

Children's safety is maintained through the vigilance of the staff team. For example, children are encouraged to hold on to the banister as they safely walk up and down the stairs. When going outside, staff make a risk assessment of the slope and steps down to the garden for slip hazards due to ice. Children are reminded to be careful as they navigate to the garden area.

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

• The manager oversees the practice of staff, including conducting regular supervisions to identify areas for their future development. She supports staff to make continuous improvements to their skills and knowledge.
• Staff develop positive relationships with children. Children learn to behave well, and they are encouraged to learn rules and boundaries. For example, pre-school children identify when children take toys from their peers, explaining that they are not sharing.
• Independence is a key skill that staff try and promote with all children. However, there are a few inconsistencies in staff's approach. Older children are encouraged to put on their coats and zip these up. All children are encouraged to feed themselves. As children get older, they learn to serve their own meals and use safety knives to chop up their fruit. For younger children, resources are sometimes too big for them to use, which does not aid the development of their independence effectively. Also, all staff do not consistently try and encourage children to develop aspects of their self-care skills.
• Babies' fine manipulative skills are supported as they pick up wooden rings and place them onto a stand. Two-year-olds show skill as they complete shape puzzles. Staff help them to sequence the shapes carefully in size order as they slot them into the puzzle. Pre-school children are provided with further challenge as they identify a range of different-coloured shapes. They concentrate as they carefully position the shapes to replicate a range of patterns.
• Children develop their counting skills as staff introduce them to numbers during their play and routines. Staff count to three while babies are playing, and they sing number rhymes up to three. As children get older, staff increase children's counting to five and then on to 10 if appropriate. This helps to ensure children have a firm grasp and understanding of smaller numbers before moving on to larger numbers.
• Children enjoy listening to stories. Babies select their own books and take them to a staff member to read. Children from age two enjoy storytelling sessions where staff support their listening and attention skills. Staff ask questions about the book, supporting children's understanding and communication skills. Pre-school children begin to recall phrases and words as stories become familiar to them.
• Core books are regularly read to all children to support their language skills. Information sheets provide staff with ideas for linked activities they can provide to extend children's learning. For example, pre-school children's awareness of emotions is supported when they listen to a story about littering. Staff create a littered environment in their once tidy room, enabling children to further explore how this makes them feel. However, staff in the baby room are not as successful as other staff in adapting these activities to fully suit babies' abilities.
• Parents receive weekly newsletters that keep them informed about what their children are learning. Ideas for how they can support their children's learning at home are also shared.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how to ensure all staff consistently help children to increase their independence
• clarify how staff will fully consider babies' abilities when providing linked activities to core stories.