Manor Farm Day Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and their parents are welcomed by staff as they arrive, and children are happy to go into their group room to see their friends. All children are supported well at this nursery. Staff help children learn to be considerate of others. When children bang bricks on the table to make a loud noise, staff see other children cover their ears. Staff carefully explain that their friends are covering their ears because they do not like the noise. This helps children understand the impact their actions can have on others.

Staff care for toddlers and pre-school children in the same room. They make sure each child has appropriate attention and activities to promote their learning. During matching games, older pre-schoolers help their younger friends find the pictures and work well together. Babies can see into the toddler and pre-school room, and siblings or friends have contact with one another during the day. Older babies are confident to explore and build positive relationships with the staff. Staff are gentle and caring; they give babies reassurance and cuddles, which contributes to them feeling safe and a sense of belonging at nursery.

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

• Leaders and managers work effectively with the staff. They communicate well to ensure everyone understands their role and responsibilities in the nursery. Staff are encouraged to improve their knowledge and skills through ongoing training and reflective practice. Recently, staff have introduced simple sign language as an additional method to support and improve children's communication. The provider reflects that this has a positive impact; children have quickly learned new signs, such as for 'more' and 'thank you', and parents say their children use these signs at home.
• Children are interested and curious about the activities. Staff talk to them and demonstrate how to use tools with the play dough and help children think about what they are doing. Children try out different tools to get the best effects. They know that one rolling pin is too big, one is not long enough, and one is just right. The positive involvement from staff supports children to keep trying when they come across challenges.
• The staff know their key children well and plan for each child's learning. Overall, they know what children are interested in and support them to move towards their next steps. However, staff are sometimes unclear about what they want children to learn from activities and how they can extend their learning.
• Overall, staff interact with children effectively as they play with them. Children become engaged, as staff are enthusiastic and positive in their language and approach. Sometimes, however, staff do not plan small-group activities effectively enough to ensure they are meaningful for each child taking part. This results in some children becoming distracted and they lose interest.
• Staff help children to learn what behaviour they expect of them. They talk to children and involve them in agreeing the 'nursery golden values'. The consistent and positive approach includes clear explanations and gentle reminders. Children respond positively to staff and show they are familiar with their expectations as they remind one another to walk indoors and to share toys.
• Staff are respectful and caring towards the children, which contributes to children's positive relationships and feelings of emotional security. Staff talk to and smile at babies as they manage their care routines. Children are encouraged to develop their independence. Babies learn to feed themselves with a spoon; staff gradually build on their skills and as they get older they learn to use knives and forks. When pre-schoolers have finished eating, they scrape food they have not eaten into the bin and wash up their plates.
• Staff speak to parents every day to ensure they have a good understanding of the children's needs. This contributes to children receiving a consistent approach to their care. Staff give parents information about what children are learning from the activities at the nursery and ideas to help continue learning at home.
• Staff support children's communication and language by introducing new vocabulary, such as 'machinery' as they play alongside them building with construction toys.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen curriculum planning and support staff to understand the intent of activities and guide children's learning to build on what they know already
• develop group activities to ensure they are purposeful and meaningful for each child who is taking part.