Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Maidenhead

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in the nursery. They are warmly greeted by staff and enter the playrooms with confidence, demonstrating that they feel safe. Children settle well to choose activities which support their learning. For example, children enjoy exploring sand, and snuggling up with staff to enjoy familiar stories. Staff incorporate children's interests well into activities. For instance, during an activity with dough, staff added home-grown tomatoes from the allotment for the toddlers to use as a pizza topping.

All children are well behaved. The environment ignites their curiosity and eagerness to learn. For instance, babies explore the indoor and outdoor areas confidently, making choices about their play. They experience the feel of the jelly in their hands, and staff use language to describe it, such as 'wobbly' and 'squelchy'. This promotes babies' developing language skills. Older children enjoy making marks in paint with vegetables, pine cones and leaves. They are confident to explore their ideas and recall prior learning. For example, they work out that if they make a handprint, they can adapt it to look like the autumn leaves falling from the trees. Children demonstrate a broad vocabulary and good thinking skills.

Children have many opportunities to learn about the world around them and to enjoy fresh air and exercise outdoors. For instance, staff take children out in the community for walks and adventures, such as experiencing rides on public transport.

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

• The manager, who is also the provider, and staff have made significant improvements since their last inspection. They are a highly reflective team and work very well together to provide the best possible environment for children to learn and develop. The manager has been proactive in addressing the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection to implement improvements.
• Children benefit from a curriculum that is carefully considered and well planned. Staff build on what children already know and can do. They provide activities that follow children's individual interests and what they need to learn next.
• All staff have completed behaviour training to help them to support children. Children behave very well in the nursery. For example, they know the 'golden rules' and follow them well. Children share and are polite to one another. Staff are excellent role models.
• Staff are warm and caring to children. All children have a key person. Staff understand the importance of this role in helping children build attachments and feel safe and secure. However, changes to the new staff team and staff deployment needs mean that opportunities for children to spend time with their key person are not always maximised. For example, not all children have their nappies changed by their key person.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well. For example, parents share common key words in their home language and staff use visual prompts to further support children's language development.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They identify specific needs early on and provide targeted support. Staff work closely with other agencies, ensuring that children receive specialist support when needed.
• Relationships with parents are strong. Parents say their children settle well with kind and caring staff.
• The leadership team undertakes regular supervision and observation of staff. Staff are encouraged to observe each other's interactions with children and improve their teaching practice. However, in view of staff changes, this is in its infancy. There is still scope for continuous professional development opportunities to focus more precisely on raising the quality of teaching to the highest level.
• Children are provided with healthy snacks and nutritious meals. Mealtimes are social occasions and children's independence is supported well by staff. Children learn to manage their self-care needs with confidence. Older children address their toilet needs well and wash their hands independently.
• Staff speak highly of the support they receive from the manager. They acknowledge that there has been a period of change. They have regular meetings where they can discuss their ideas and plan professional development. Staff all clearly enjoy their work. They say they feel part of a team and value their colleagues' support and advice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• reflect on how children and key persons can spend more time together to build further on children's attachments and feelings of belonging and security
• enhance the professional development programme for staff to improve the quality of teaching to the highest level.