Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Loughton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff know the children they care for well. They communicate effectively with parents regarding children's routines, and make appropriate adaptations to the nursery routine to support children's well-being. Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery. They have created a curriculum that focuses on the core skills which children need to gain to succeed in life. Communication and language is at the core of the curriculum. Staff identify appropriate next steps for children in their development and provide effective support for children to achieve what they need to for their future success.

Babies and younger children develop their social interactions at key times of the day. For instance, they all sit together at mealtimes and staff make the most of the opportunity to interact with children who enjoy talking about their day. Staff use visual cues to support children's understanding that they need to wait, such as 'my turn, your turn' cards. The oldest children talk happily to their friends, involving them in their play. Children follow the good example set by staff, who gently remind them of the rules. Staff praise children's efforts and this helps build their self-esteem and reinforces their positive attitudes to learning.

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

• Staff interactions with babies are strong. They provide babies with a warm and caring environment, and this helps them to settle in. Babies are supervised well, including as they sleep. Staff gently pat them on the back as they settle down to rest and monitor them closely. Staff are highly responsive to the needs of the babies. They respond sensitively, meeting their needs without delay.
• Children are very independent for their age. They competently manage their personal needs, putting on their shoes or washing their hands. Staff show children how to complete simple tasks and this helps children to master new skills. For example, staff show babies how to use spoons to feed themselves. Older children competently serve their own meals with little need for support from staff.
• The key-person system is embedded effectively. There is a buddy system in place that helps staff to meet children's needs appropriately, even when other familiar staff are absent. Staff gather a range of information from parents, as well as one another, when children progress from one room to the next. This successfully helps staff to plan appropriate and relevant learning opportunities for children and meet their needs.
• The carefully sequenced curriculum promotes children's development as they move through the different rooms. Staff support babies to begin to speak, providing them with basic language relevant to their experiences. Babies respond by babbling back to staff as they sing to them, clearly enjoying these interactions. Older children learn to form simple sentences. Staff introduce additional words to describe the toys as children explore. The oldest children confidently speak about their own experiences, such as talking about their recent holidays, to the other children and staff at lunch time.
• Pre-school children explore how to mix food colouring with milk and watch what happens when washing-up liquid is added. Staff have a clear intent for the activities they provide. However, the way activities are arranged sometimes means that children are not able to make the most of the experiences on offer. For example, the large number of children participating means that not all children are able to fully explore and share their ideas and understanding. This also limits the staff's ability to accurately assess what children gain from the activities they provide.
• Leaders have clear oversight of staff. Regular discussions and observations take place to monitor their practice and performance. Staff hold regular discussions with leaders regarding their ongoing suitability to ensure they remain suitable for their roles. Leaders provide staff with a range of training to help them improve the quality of their interactions with children further. When leaders identify something that is not working at the nursery, they reflect and make considered changes to improve the nursery further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to deliver adult-led activities that consistently provide children with further challenge and opportunities to share their knowledge, helping staff to more accurately assess the progress children make.