Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Eltham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this well-resourced and welcoming setting. They enjoy a wide range of challenging indoor and outdoor activities. Children are very well behaved. They respond well to gentle reminders by staff that help them learn about expectations of their behaviour. Children know and understand the daily routines as staff give them warnings about what is happening next and sing songs that link to the daily routines. Children share and take turns well during play. Babies enjoy lots of cuddles and support. Children have good relationships and show strong bonds with staff. This helps all children, including those who have additional needs, to feel safe and secure in their learning environment.

Older children are making very good progress. They are productive and concentrate well during adult-led activities. Staff successfully use children's interests and learning needs to provide a challenging and ambitious curriculum that clearly extends children's learning. For example, children keenly join in activities about their bodies. They play picture matching games and talk to staff about their body parts and internal organs. While using the doctor's set, children talk about how the plasters stop blood coming out of veins as they skilfully put plasters and bandages on staff.

Children who have additional needs are supported exceptionally well. Staff show high regard to ensuring inclusive practice. They have used funding appropriately to make improvements to the learning environment, resources and staffing arrangements. As a result, children who have additional needs make good progress from their starting points.

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

• Leaders, managers and staff have made good progress since the last inspection. They have made significant improvements and successfully met all actions raised. They have improved staff supervision and developed consistent ways of working. As a result, the quality of care and education has improved.
• Regular supervision meetings and opportunities for continuous professional development and support from leaders and managers have enabled staff to make improvements. For example, consistent methods of planning and assessment in all group rooms now ensure that the curriculum is ambitious and reflects children's learning needs and interests.
• Children are supported well in learning about their different home languages. During story time, staff show toddlers the new book and electronic pen that translates the story in different languages. A new book library enables children, parents and staff to use books written in dual languages. Staff have introduced Makaton sign language, which children are actively using with staff.
• Consequently, children's communication and language skills are rapidly improving.
• Staff work closely with parents to ensure toilet training is consistent and successful. However, the organisation of nappy changing arrangements in a busy part of the pre-school room does not fully assure children's privacy.
• Children's understanding of good hygiene practice and personal care is promoted well by staff. For example, children wash their hands regularly and staff explain that food or cutlery dropped on the floor is now dirty and cannot be used. Children learn about the importance of protecting their skin while applying sun cream with staff and talk about wearing their sun hats.
• Sometimes the raised voices of staff and children during play result in high noise levels in the open-plan pre-school room. This makes it harder for children to develop their speaking and listening skills and disturbs the overall quality of their learning experiences.
• Older children enjoy focus activities with staff. They are supported well in learning to count accurately and begin simple addition while using small bricks. Staff sequence activities well to build on what children already know. As a result, older children are developing good mathematical skills.
• Parents comment positively about the quality of care. They say that their children are happy and making good progress. Their children are more confident, independent and ready for when they move on to school. Parents say that staff are friendly and regularly share information about their children's progress.
• Staff talk to children about good oral health while children use toothbrushes to brush large pretend sets of teeth. Children keenly explain that their teeth are in their mouth and that they need to care for their teeth because they need them to bite their food. Staff talk to children about foods that are good for them. Children serve their own food and help themselves to water throughout the day. This ensures that children develop healthy eating habits as they learn to self-regulate the amount of food or water they need.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• reduce noise levels, particularly in the pre-school room, to promote children's speaking and listening skills and optimise their learning experiences
• review nappy changing routines in the pre-school room to assure children's privacy and further promote their personal independence
• monitor and embed the recent improvements made to mealtime procedures into all staffs practice, to ensure all managers and staff understand about the consequences of children's allergies and minimise risks so that children's individual dietary needs are consistently met.