Marlborough Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy at the nursery. They form strong attachments with the nurturing and kind staff, who support their emotional well-being very well. This makes children feel safe and secure. Babies giggle with delight as staff place puppets on their hands and sing songs. They cuddle up to staff, who read them stories. Older children listen with interest to stories and talk about the characters they see. All children make good progress in their learning. Staff provide clear boundaries for children to follow. For example, children learn about 'sharing is caring'. Older children demonstrate a good understanding of these expectations. They take turns with resources as they pretend to make camp fires in the garden. Children listen to and follow instructions. For example, they respond promptly when it is time to tidy up.

Staff teach older children about how their bodies work, and children begin to understand the effects of exercise. Staff promote children's physical skills well across the nursery. Babies develop their mobility by moving around furniture and carefully navigating different levels in the garden. Older children practise dressing and undressing for PE sessions, helping them to develop independence and self-care skills that will support their transition to school. They enjoy showing each other exercises they know, such as star jumps and stretches. Staff talk to them about how their bodies feel warmer and more out of breath after being active. They introduce children to checking their pulse and explain the importance of drinking plenty of water to stay healthy. This helps to support children's overall health, confidence and well-being.

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

• Staff have a good understanding of the overall aims of the curriculum and plan activities that reflect children's interests. However, the planned intent for some activities is not always sharply focused on what individual children need to learn next. At times, learning intentions are broad and are not tailored to extend or deepen children's learning. As a result, while children enjoy engaging activities, the impact on their individual progress is not consistently maximised.
• Diversity is celebrated at the nursery. Children share their cultural festivals with their friends. For example, children made Martisor bracelets for their friends, learning about this Romanian tradition. Staff talk to children about the celebrations they have at home, including what they eat and how they dress. Children have opportunities to learn to appreciate and value each other's differences. This helps to make the nursery inclusive and welcoming for all.
• Staff provide a commentary for children's play and engage in conversations with them. They allow plenty of time for children to think creatively and answer questions to build on their emerging skills. However, staff have not yet considered how to introduce and reinforce the use of new words to extend children's vocabulary further. Some words that staff use in conversation with the children are basic for the children's age and stage of development.
• Staff encourage children's self-care skills from a young age. Babies learn to drink from small, easy to hold cups and toddlers start to carefully pour their own drinks. Pre-school children concentrate well, using knives and forks to eat their meals. Staff provide a good variety of nutritious snacks and meals for children. Staff promote children's awareness of healthy living. For example, they talk to children about the importance of balanced diets and involve them in preparing food during 'cookery class' sessions. They use the produce they have grown in the nursery garden.
• Leaders are knowledgeable about supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They advocate strongly for the most vulnerable children. Staff use regular observations and assessments to highlight possible gaps in children's development. They use this information to plan targeted support to help all children make good progress. Staff work closely with other agencies to make sure that children get the appropriate support. Any additional funding is used well to support learning.
• Parents speak highly of staff and say they are very supportive and caring of their children. Parents say that staff involve them effectively in their children's activities and give them ideas to extend this learning at home. Staff form positive partnerships with parents to provide continuity for children's care. For example, they discuss babies' sleep routines with parents and follow these at nursery.
• A long-standing staff team works well together. Staff report high levels of morale. They have access to training to help support and deepen their knowledge. This helps to ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to ensure the learning intentions for planned activities are clearly defined and tailored to individual children, so that they can more effectively support each child's next steps in learning
• reinforce new words that are introduced to children to increase children's vocabulary and enhance their communication and language skills.