Mama Bear's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show they feel safe and secure in this welcoming nursery. They eagerly enter, separate from their parents, and quickly settle down to the activities they wish to explore. Children confidently approach staff, who know them well and listen to their news. Children happily play together. For example, older children set up a pretend picnic. They sit together and share their food and are sociable, chatting about their food. Younger children explore the farm, putting the different animals in the pens and then singing 'Old MacDonald' using the models as props.

Children develop good levels of independence. Older children take off and put on their socks and shoes, serve their lunches and clear away their plates. Younger children help themselves to water from the dispenser, drink from an open cup and learn to feed themselves with cutlery.

The interim manager has a clear vision for her curriculum. She knows what she wants the children to learn and the skills they need to gain as they progress through the nursery and get ready for their move to school. She places a strong emphasis on ensuring children have experiences that they may not have outside of the nursery. Staff know the children very well and target the curriculum to help close any gaps in learning quickly. Children, including those who learn English as an additional language and those who receive additional funding, make good progress from their starting points.

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

• Parents report they are very happy with the progress their children are making and that their children really enjoy coming to nursery. Parents say that communication with staff is good and they have regular discussions, meetings and receive information via an online application. Parents report that they appreciate the lending library and that they enjoy taking books home to read with their children.
• Staff feel supported in the nursery following some recent changes to management. They attend regular training and report that this has had a positive impact on their practice. As a result of attending autism training, staff say they have reviewed the environment. They have plans to make changes to the colours, noise levels and brightness of the rooms, to support children's learning further.
• Children, including the youngest, show a real interest in books and select them independently. They sit, hold the books correctly and turn the pages to look at the pictures. Staff are quick to offer to read the story to the children, and others are keen to join them, and talk about the pictures.
• Children's behaviour is good. Staff praise the children for their achievements, and this helps boost the children's self-esteem. They help children learn to share and take turns, and some older children do this without prompting. Staff place a strong focus on helping children talk about their emotions, using colours to help them explain how they are feeling.
• Children progress well in their communication and language overall. They join in with stories and songs and staff encourage them to explore new words and gain new vocabulary, such as 'rough' and 'smooth'. Children confidently talk about their personal lives, such as what they have done with their family. However, at times, staff do not give children enough time to think and respond to questions to extend their expressive language further.
• Children have regular opportunities to play outside in the fresh air. Children develop their balancing skills as they walk across stepping stones. They climb and move around in different ways, negotiating objects and other children well. Other children enjoy collecting bugs and examining them through a magnifying glass and talking about what they look like with staff. Children engage in projects that develop their awareness of the importance of healthy eating and good oral health.
• The staff have developed links with the local community, such as a local care home for the elderly. This helps children learn about some aspects of the diverse society in which they live. However, they have few opportunities to learn about the differences and similarities between themselves and their friends. For example, the languages they speak and their cultural backgrounds.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff understand the need to allow children more time to think and respond to questions asked, to extend their expressive language further
• provide more opportunities for children to learn about the similarities and differences between themselves and their friends.