Mary Poppins Daycare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a safe and welcoming environment where children thrive. Children and their families are welcomed by the nurturing staff when they arrive each morning. They leave their parents and carers with ease and settle into the well-embedded and familiar routine. Children form positive relationships with the staff, which helps them to feel safe and secure during their time at the nursery.

Staff plan and provide a varied curriculum that reflects children's age and stage of development and ignites their passion for learning. Children are eager to choose from the array of activities on offer both inside and out. For example, children explore the ingredients to make play dough. They add flour, water and oil to a bowl and take it in turns to mix it all together. Staff engage positively with children as they play and extend their learning. For instance, they encourage the children to speak about the colours and textures they can see and feel. All children make good progress.

Children's behaviour is very good. They listen to instructions, understand boundaries, and show respect for staff and each other. Staff reinforce rules and expectations consistently. For example, children are reminded to listen when others are talking and to share with each other and be kind. Staff sensitively address unwanted behaviour and support children to solve any minor disagreements.

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

• Staff extend children's mathematical knowledge and language extremely well. They build mathematical language into all the interactions they have with the children. For example, they encourage children to count within activities and use words, such as 'full' and 'half' during sand play. This supports children to develop their mathematical skills well.
• The management team seek advice from other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The dedicated coordinator works closely with parents and teachers to support children's transitions to school. However, staff are not yet confident in using a wide range of strategies to fully support children with SEND, in order to support their good progress.
• There is a clear focus throughout the nursery on children's communication and language development. Staff ask meaningful questions while children play, which helps children to think about what they are doing and engage in conversations. Children are given the time they need to think and respond to the questions asked. Staff repeat words to model correct pronunciation and add new words to build on children's vocabulary.
• Children are encouraged to develop their independence. At mealtimes, older children are supported to pour drinks, serve themselves food and scrape their leftovers in the bin. Children confidently choose what they want to do and lead their own play. Staff support children to tend to their own care needs, such as wiping their noses and washing their hands. This supports children's independence well ready for their eventual move to school.
• Staff promote children's healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from a well-resourced outdoor play area which offers a range of physical opportunities. For example, children enjoy climbing and balancing on the giant tractor tyres and climbing frames and slides. Activities and conversations are provided to support children to learn about the importance of good oral health. All food is healthy, well balanced and prepared fresh each day for the children.
• Partnership with parents is effective. Parents speak highly of the caring and supportive staff. They describe how their children run in each day and always leave with stories to tell. Staff provide parents with regular updates on children's development through daily conversations and an online platform to share photos.
• Overall, the management team support their staff well. Staff comment that they feel well supported and valued. Their qualifications have a positive impact on many aspects of their practice. Staff attend regular team meetings and yearly appraisals. However, the management team are yet to identify systems for monitoring practice and for the training and coaching of the staff. This means that staff are unable to continuously strengthen their practice and teaching skills to a higher level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's strategies and interactions further to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that all children make good progress in their learning and development
• provide effective supervision, with actions to offer support, coaching and training for staff to help raise practice to an even higher level.