Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Woodford

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and safe at this welcoming nursery. They eagerly leave their parents and carers to start their fun day of play and learning. Staff offer emotional warmth and care to help the children thrive and feel secure. Staff provide a well-balanced and stimulating curriculum, which helps support children to develop across all the areas of learning and development. Children enjoy getting outside and learning hands-on in the large well-resourced garden, where children develop their physical skills, balance and coordination. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make good progress from their starting points. Staff work closely with parents and other agencies to get children the right help that they need.

Children behave well. Staff help children to understand that their actions have consequences and how to manage their feelings. This helps support children to gain the skills they need for school and later life. Children enjoy mealtimes and staff support and encourage children to have interesting conversations. Children know the nursery routines, which helps to give them a sense of security, and they form meaningful relationships with each other. Staff support children to manage their own care needs. For example, children gain a sense of responsibility when they wash their hands.

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

• Staff know the children well and plan for their next steps in learning. For example, staff observe and listen to children, and they find out about their interests. They plan activities around these so that children are motivated to learn.
• Staff implement a good key-person system, so that families are well settled into the nursery. However, at times, there is a lack of consistency across all the age groups, which can hinder children's smooth transition into nursery.
• In the main, staff plan and deliver effective learning opportunities for children. However, at times, staff do not always plan small-group activities so that all children can make the most of their learning.
• The leadership team is committed to providing good quality care and learning opportunities for all children. It encourages and supports staff well. Regular supervision and daily discussions ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities. There is a strong emphasis on staff's well-being, all of which helps maintain good staff morale.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength at the nursery. Staff communicate clearly to parents about important matters. Parents speak highly about the introduction of the parent app, which encourages them to engage and promotes a good two-way flow of information. Parents have access to a range of reading books for their children, including dual-language books. They are encouraged to read to their children to support learning at home. Parents write suggestions for improvement and staff respond swiftly. For example, photos of children's key persons are displayed on the playroom doors so that parents can recognise them easily.
• Staff work well with schools to help ensure children transition easily. For instance, staff visit schools and keep in regular contact, sharing important information.
• Younger children enjoy throwing balls outside with staff. Children learn to develop grasping skills, hand-eye coordination, visual tracking and the ability to transfer objects back and forth between their hands.
• Older children use their imagination to draw and create pictures. They talk to staff about what they are doing, expressing their ideas and thoughts through language.
• Babies improve their skills and confidence and develop their walking skills as they steady themselves and cruise around and between play resources. Staff praise and encourage babies during their play.
• Staff celebrate different festivals with children to help support them to understand the wider world. Older children learn about democracy as they work together, listen and respect each other. Children work well with staff and learn to vote when making decisions.
• Staff provide a healthy diet and offer children opportunities for daily fresh air and exercise. Children learn about the importance of healthy lifestyles, which helps to support their future well-being.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the key-person system to ensure consistency across all rooms.
• explore a wider range of professional developmental opportunities so that all staff know how to plan small-group activities effectively.