Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stoke Newington

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled across the nursery. New children feel immediately welcome. For instance, staff sing 'Happy birthday' to babies who are still settling in. The babies respond positively as they enthusiastically eat the watermelon 'birthday cake' the chef has prepared for them.

Toddlers arrive and quickly engage in an activity of their choosing. They are familiar with the routines and staff support them gently to complete tasks, such as reminding them to wash their hands before they play. The oldest children become independent and helpful. For instance, they help staff to wipe down tables after snack time.

Children enjoy the activities staff provide for them. They develop their concentration. Babies enjoy playing in the garden. Toddlers focus well as they play in the water tray with one another and staff. The oldest children concentrate very well as they create cards and pictures. They use scissors safely, before sticking the items they have cut out onto their pictures.

Children have multiple opportunities to learn about the wider community and the world around them. They regularly visit the library, which helps them to develop a love of reading. Children visit museums to build on their interests, for instance when they visit the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs.

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

• Staff support children to develop positive interactions with one another. They are well deployed so that they can constantly interact with children. This enables them to address any minor behavioural incidents quickly. Staff use positive language to remind children of the rules. For instance, they remind toddlers to use their 'walking feet' indoors instead of telling them not to run.
• Parents are happy with the care the nursery provides. They speak highly of the effective communication about their children's progress. Parents are actively involved in their children's time at the nursery. For instance, parents accompany children on trips that they go on. Managers gather feedback from parents regularly and take this on board, implementing changes where they can. Staff share ideas with parents to build on their children's learning at home. This helps to provide children with consistency between the nursery and home.
• Staff know the children well. They gather a range of relevant information from parents before children start. This helps them to provide interesting and relevant activities to children. Staff regularly track children's progress. This supports them in identifying appropriate next steps in children's development.
• The well-being of staff is important to the manager. She provides a flexible approach to staff, accommodating their requests wherever possible. Staff participate in the reflection process. They attend regular meetings together where they identify targets for the room they work in. They implement the changes effectively. For instance, staff adapt the layout of the toddler room so that children can listen to stories with less disruption.
• Pre-school children are well prepared for their move to school. They learn to recognise their new school surroundings and uniform. Staff use pictures of their new schools to talk to them about the upcoming move. Children dress up in school uniform and develop their independence. This helps them to complete tasks in preparation for dressing and undressing themselves when they start school.
• Leaders and managers are passionate about the nursery. They respond positively to any concerns parents raise, quickly implementing changes to enhance the service they provide further. They regularly meet with staff to discuss their performance, offering help and training where needed. This supports staff to feel valued in their roles and improve their performance.
• The oldest children communicate well. Staff encourage them to share their own thoughts and opinions, holding thoughtful discussions with the children. There are agreed strategies in place to support babies and toddlers in their communication and language development. For instance, staff have received basic training in using simple sign language. However, the agreed strategies are not consistently used across the nursery. This means that babies and toddlers are less likely to be able to communicate their needs and thoughts with others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide babies and toddlers with consistent support in their communication and language development so that they communicate even more effectively with others around them.