Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show excitement and joy as they arrive at nursery. They are quick to settle and find their friends to join in with their play. Staff work closely with parents and agencies to gain a secure understanding of the children in their care. They plan targeted support to meet the varying needs of the children attending the nursery.

Children enjoy a wide and interesting range of activities. Staff provide the teaching and meaningful interactions children need to make good progress. For example, older children enjoy small-group activities. Staff model language and provide a range of vocabulary to support children's communication and language development and new learning. Children show positive attitudes towards their learning.

Staff implement a curriculum to help promote children's good health and physical development. For example, children enjoy riding bikes and scooters. Staff teach children the importance of safety and have introduced helmets for children to wear while riding the bikes. This supports children to understand and be included in keeping themselves safe. Children are quick to remind their friends of where to find the helmets before they ride on bikes or scooters.

Children benefit from positive relationships with the staff that care for them, helping them feel safe and secure at nursery.

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

• Leaders are committed to providing high standards of childcare and learning experiences for children. They recognise that a happy staff team that is valued helps achieve this and supports staff in developing their skills and knowledge. Staff use these skills to plan an ambitious and sequenced curriculum that focuses on supporting children's current skills and developing their next steps.
• Staff observe and monitor children's progress well. They adapt their teaching and the range of experiences offered to help children to make good progress. They seek guidance from other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps them to develop targeted support to meet the individual needs of all children attending the nursery.
• Staff focus on developing children's communication and language. They are aware of the languages children speak and learn at home, and they use key words and phrases to enhance the teaching and interactions with children. Familiar stories and rhymes are popular, and children are keen to share their favourite stories. They retell what they remember and create models from the story. Staff join in with the children and develop conversations that support children to learn new vocabulary.
• Staff teach and support children to develop their independence skills. They set clear expectations and give explanations about what is happening now and next. This helps children to know and understand the routines of the day and play an active role in them. For example, children enjoy helping tidy and set the room ready for lunch. Older children are learning to prepare for school. For example, they have a packed lunch day where they take responsibility for their lunches. They find their things and unpack their food, ready for the transition into school.
• Children are beginning to learn a range of mathematical concepts, such as colour and pattern. Staff extend this learning well for the most able children, providing challenge to build on their current skills and develop these further. However, at times, there is less consistent support for other children who are ready to build on their next steps and develop their mathematical understanding. On occasion, this means some children lose focus and redirect their own play and learning, so they do not benefit from the intended teaching.
• Staff have nurtured and developed positive and lasting relationships with parents. They ensure an open and mutual exchange of information about children and their current needs and interests. Parents know what their children are learning and how they can support this at home. These positive interactions modelled by staff with parents supports children's emotional well being and development of relationships with staff and their peers.
• Staff are kind and attentive to children's individual needs. They provide praise and encouragement that supports children to focus in their chosen play. Children spend long periods focused in play showing positive attitudes towards their learning. They share and take turns in group activities and show kindness to their friends.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's skills in recognising when to further extend and build on children's individual learning.