Mama Bear's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in the warm and welcoming nursery environment. Staff plan an ambitious curriculum, which continuously builds on what children already know and need to learn next. Children are independent, confident and curious to explore. Whether they are making 'pasta tea' in the mud kitchen or moulding play dough into shapes, they play well together. They learn to manage their behaviour successfully for themselves and are kind to others. Staff help children to manage transitions well so that they are emotionally secure and developmentally ready to move on to the next stage in their learning. Children have a positive attitude to learning.

Children share secure bonds with all staff. The key-person system is particularly strong across the nursery because staff recognise the importance of building close attachments with the children and get to know them well. As a result, children settle quickly with familiar adults, with whom they feel secure.

Partnerships with parents are good. There is consistent communication between the staff and parents, who are well informed about their child's progress and how they can support their children's learning further at home.

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

• The nursery is strongly led by the new manager, who has worked with the staff tirelessly since the last inspection to make improvements. She monitors staff's practice well to develop and improve their knowledge and understanding. Staff feel valued and well supported. They are confident and proud to demonstrate their good knowledge of the children and the curriculum.
• Staff support children well to develop good communication and language. They encourage babies by repeating sounds and words back in a two-way conversation. Consequently, babies begin to babble and chatter, and smile and laugh with confidence. Babies and toddlers use sign language to communicate. For instance, at snack time, they use the signs for 'please' and 'thank you'. Pre-school children learn new words, such as 'flesh', as they scoop out the inside of a pumpkin. Staff extend their learning further, using words such as 'slimy' and 'slippery' as they talk about the pumpkin seeds. However, children do not have many opportunities to begin to link sounds to letters.
• Children thoroughly enjoy outside play. They use paintbrushes and water to make marks on the wall of the outside 'art gallery'. They engage in conversation with staff as they pour water from one container to another and begin to learn about size and capacity. Children race around the outside track on wheeled vehicles, skilfully negotiating pathways successfully. Staff support children well during small-group activities. However, at times, staff do not consider further ways to support the understanding and participation of all children, particularly during adult-led activities.
• The provider and manager ensure that staff have a broad range of opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding. Staff training has a positive impact on children's experiences. For example, after attending behaviour management training, staff are more confident to manage children's behaviour consistently so that they learn from a young age to be kind, share and take turns.
• Children develop a good understanding of healthy eating and follow thorough hygiene routines. Care routines in the baby room meet the children's needs very well. They enjoy lots of cuddles and reassurance as they play. Staff spontaneously burst into song when changing nappies or sing quietly with children as they help them to get ready for sleep. Babies demonstrate that they feel secure as they cuddle into staff to share a story.
• Children develop a love of books and stories. Staff engage and interact well with pre-school children, using books to extend their vocabulary. Staff read with babies and count the animals on the page as they sing songs and learn animal names and noises. Toddlers begin to use longer sentences, as staff encourage them to talk about the characters in the story.
• Children who are learning to speak English as an additional language are very well supported. Staff learn and use key words in children's home languages, which helps them to feel valued and included.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities for children to link sounds to letters
• extend staff practice to support all children's understanding and participation, particularly during adult-led activities.