Merry Poppets Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy attending this nursery. They arrive confidently, settling quickly in play and activities of their choosing. Staff get to know children well from the start. They adapt the environment to ensure it is welcoming to all. Children build strong bonds with staff. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. For example, they confidently share with staff what they have done at home. Babies are well settled and keen to explore.

Staff show respect towards children and encourage them to make choices. This helps children to feel valued and build good levels of self-esteem. Staff seek children's consent before changing nappies or helping to wipe their noses. Children have time to explore to their satisfaction, such as when they look for plastic insects in mud. Children listen to staff and follow simple instructions. Staff help children to learn about their emotions and acknowledge how they feel. Children are building the vocabulary they need to express their needs and wants. This helps them to consider the needs of their friends as they learn to share and take turns. Staff read stories and sing songs with children throughout the day. They understand that repetition helps children to learn. However, sometimes, staff do not demonstrate high ambition for children to broaden their vocabulary widely.

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

• Leaders have established a clear curriculum designed to help children learn and develop over time. They plan well to help children gain the key skills and knowledge they need to support their eventual move to school and for life in modern Britain.
• Staff working with babies receive specific training that helps them understand how babies learn and develop. They ensure that babies' needs are promptly met. Staff ensure that babies have plenty of opportunities to practise their growing physical skills, both indoors and outdoors. They ensure that the environment is safe and free from hazards. Staff talk gently to babies, who respond with broad smiles and gurgles as they learn about turn taking during conversations.
• From the start, staff give babies and children plenty of opportunities to practise skills to build their independence. Children learn to use cutlery at mealtimes and how to put on their coats and shoes. They learn about healthy foods and build good hygiene routines.
• Staff work well with parents and other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They attend training to further their knowledge and skills. Staff implement targeted interventions well to help children make progress. Parents state that the information they receive helps them to follow strategies at home. This helps their child benefit from consistency in learning.
• Leaders are committed to continually improving their practice. They are reflective in practice and seek staff views to help improve experiences for children, as well as to ensure that staff workloads are manageable. Leaders value their staff and have introduced a range of measures to support staff well-being. Staff say that they feel well supported to fulfil their roles and that they enjoy working at the nursery.
• Parents are positive about the nursery and staff. They state that their children enjoy coming to nursery. Parents add that they feel well informed about their child's day and what they are learning. They know how to support their ongoing learning at home. Parents say that they notice the progress their children make in their self-confidence.
• Sometimes, staff do not use what they know about child development to help them tailor learning experiences to each child's individual level and needs. For example, staff tend to use everyday language with children. They do not always help them to build a wide vocabulary so that the development of their spoken language firmly underpins all seven areas of learning. On occasion, activities include too many resources that detract from the learning intention. For example, staff working with toddlers do not always consider how their stage of development affects their attention skills and ability to focus on more than one new skill.
• Although children have regular daily opportunities to play outside, this tends to focus on physical play. Children who are curious about the natural world have fewer meaningful opportunities to explore and experience nature.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff deepen their understanding of typical child development and use this to extend children's learning to the highest level
• broaden opportunities for children to explore the natural world.