Mama Bear's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the nursery happily and settle quickly on arrival. They have strong emotional attachments with the caring staff, who cuddle and comfort them when needed. This helps children to feel safe and secure, as do the consistent and well-organised daily routines that children are clearly familiar with.

Staff organise the nursery effectively to ignite children's curiosity. Children make choices about their play and follow their own interests and ideas. For example, within the baby room, staff support children to select the cereal they would like to eat and encourage them to point to this. Babies are offered a choice of books and staff wait for them to point to the story they would like to read.

Toddlers demonstrate problem-solving skills as they push shapes into a shape sorter. Staff support children to stack one block on top of another. Toddlers and babies are inquisitive. They enjoy sensory activities that support their exploration skills. For instance, children have fun as they investigate different materials, such as toy insects, sand and paint. Children are beginning to develop the skills needed for their future learning.

Staff kept in close contact with families during the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped to support children's learning and well-being. Staff made calls to offer support and provided home-learning resources through the online system.

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

• Young children form strong attachments with their key person. Staff are knowledgeable and ensure that children are well cared for. When babies become unsettled, staff reassure them and respond sensitively with care and warmth.
• Children are highly motivated and develop good physical skills through a range of stimulating experiences. For example, children actively explore equipment in the outdoor area. They delight in their achievements as they climb the steps on the slide and dig in the sand.
• Good hygiene measures are in place and children are encouraged to develop independence with their self-care. Young children confidently use the tissues and mirror to clean their noses and are reminded to wash their hands. Children and adults eat healthy, nutritious meals together, which makes mealtimes enjoyable and social experiences.
• Staff teach children what is expected of them during daily routines and activities. They are good role models who provide consistent guidance to children. For example, when toddlers run and crawl around outside, staff remind them to be careful so that they do not fall over the toys and hurt themselves. This helps children to understand how to play safely.
• Staff teach children about various celebrations. For example, children learn about Chinese New Year and Easter. However, staff do not consistently explore the varied cultures in their setting to help children gain a better understanding of the wider world.
• The managers closely monitor the quality of education. They routinely observe staff's teaching and provide them with constructive feedback. Staff receive good support and coaching to help them understand their responsibilities. They work closely as a team and evaluate their practice. During staff meetings, they discuss what is going well and what they could do differently.
• The managers are committed to professional development and have a clear vision to provide staff with training that will impact on children's overall development. For example, all staff have recently completed training to help them fully understand the importance of their role with key children.
• Overall, children's communication and language skills are supported well. Staff sit alongside children in areas such as the home corner and join in with their play. However, staff do not always make the most of opportunities to extend and repeat single words to build younger children's early vocabulary and communication skills even further.
• Staff plan thoughtful, interesting activities for children. They regularly check children's progress and use this information to ensure they are appropriately challenged. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress.
• Staff value the children's own ideas and provide good opportunities for children to make decisions about all aspects of their care.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop ways to support children's knowledge of their own backgrounds to develop their understanding of the wider world
• further develop strategies used by staff during children's play and learning to enhance children's communication and language skills and support their growing vocabulary.