Mary Kelly's Rascals Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident in this welcoming nursery. They love to have a go and get involved in all learning opportunities. Children delight in taking part in activities that stimulate their senses as they feel different textures of paint, soil and cereals. Additionally, they show their creative side. For instance, children create their own unique works of art. They make their own flags and designs for a snail's shell. These activities also help children develop the muscles in their hands ready for future writing. Children make their own dough and experiment to find the correct quantity of ingredients. They develop their cutting skills as they use scissors to cut the dough into pieces. Older children learn about mathematical concepts, such as weight and measure. They use language such as 'heavier' and 'lighter', and compare different weights as they balance objects on the scales.

Children demonstrate embedded knowledge from prior learning. They tell each other in their play that 'red means stop' when recalling activities about road safety. They confidently talk about only crossing with an adult, the lollipop person or when a crossing has a green man. Children show they feel safe at the nursery. They seek comfort from staff if they feel sad or worried. Children are focused on the learning they take part in. During story times, children behave appropriately, contribute enthusiastically and allow their friends the time to speak. All children enjoy lots of outdoor play. They develop their coordination and balance as they learn to ride wheeled toys independently. Children enhance their hand-to-eye coordination as they knock over bowling pins with a ball. Older children proudly show their number knowledge as they correctly write and identify the numbers they know using chunky chalks on the floor.

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

• Leaders have taken effective steps to address the areas for improvement raised at the previous inspection. Staffing levels are well maintained. Leaders' oversight ensures that staff are always well deployed to best meet children's needs. Leaders meet regularly with staff, assure themselves of staff well-being, provide supportive developmental feedback and jointly identify training needs. This ensures that the progress children make is prioritised.
• Staff provide a useful narrative as children play. Additionally, children take part in singing traditional nursery rhymes and enjoy reading stories with staff. This ensures that they hear lots of new words in context. As a result, children's language skills are progressing well.
• Staff use specific communication assessment tools to accurately benchmark children's level of language development. Where needed, staff implement additional support to further develop children's speech. However, at times, staff do not always pronounce words correctly. This leads to some children mispronouncing words when they talk. This does not best support their developing vocabulary. That said, leaders are aware of this and have started to take action to address this weakness. However, this is not yet embedded across the nursery.
• Staff teach children how to manage their own emotions and recognise the importance of being kind and courteous to others. They model good manners and read books to children which reinforce this message. As a result, children can talk to staff about why manners are important and demonstrate this through their positive interactions with their friends.
• The nursery provides children with healthy and nutritious food. This helps children to learn about the importance of healthy eating. Children learn about how to maintain their own good oral health. However, leaders do not always enhance this further by sharing information with parents about the importance of healthy food choices. As a result, some packed lunch items do not meet the nursery's healthy eating guidance.
• Parents and carers receive lots of information about how children are progressing and developing. They value this communication and are very happy with the progress their children make, particularly in their communication skills, independence and emotional maturity.
• Staff talk positively about the changes at the nursery since the previous inspection. They explain how they have been directly involved in the creation of the current curriculum. Staff understand this well and feel better equipped to deliver good-quality education. Staff explain that leaders are supportive and that they benefit from the constructive feedback given from frequent observations. This helps staff continually improve.
• Staff across the nursery deliver a progressive and well-sequenced curriculum that builds on what children already know. Clear next steps are identified and ideas are shared with parents to extend learning to home. As a result, all children make progress from their unique starting point.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff practice so that correct speech is consistently modelled to children
• enhance partnerships with parents further so that children's health is even better supported.