Montagu Square Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel comfortable to explore their environment and demonstrate that they are happy as they play. Parents and children are warmly greeted on arrival, and kind and caring staff help to quickly settle children for the day. Babies show particularly close bonds with the staff who care for them. They seek staff out for cuddles and feel relaxed enough to gently fall asleep in their arms.

Children take great delight in participating in the sensory and creative opportunities presented to them. The youngest babies explore snow and rice, developing their hand muscles as they use spoons to stir and scoop. Older babies mix tea bags and hot chocolate powder with water as part of their tea party role play. Children throughout the nursery demonstrate a love of books and enjoy having stories read to them throughout the day, which helps to build on their communication and language. Toddlers independently look at books, adding their own narrative to the pictures they see.

Children are physically active. They ride bicycles and negotiate an obstacle course in the garden. Children are encouraged to be independent. Older children learn to dress and toilet themselves and participate in tasks, such as preparing their own snack and scraping their plates after lunch.

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

• Management, along with an experienced and dedicated staff team, work together well to provide a homely environment and a continuously good level of care and education for all children. Good consideration is given by managers to supporting staff's well-being and managing their workloads. Staff enjoy working at the nursery and feel they are well supported.
• There is a strong ethos on helping children to learn how to care for their environment. All rooms have recycling areas and compost bins. When age-appropriate, staff link this practice to relevant children's books to help them understand its importance. Designated self-care stations allow children to manage their own personal needs, such as blowing their noses, helping themselves to drinks and cleaning their hands with sanitiser.
• Staff understand the nursery's ethos and the management's intent for children's learning. Staff help children to engage in purposeful play that motivates them to learn. They know the children well and speak confidently about their personalities and interests. However, some staff do not identify clearly whether the things they want children to learn next are meaningful to their individual development. Furthermore, on occasions their expectations of older children's understanding are too high.
• Children communicate well through words and gestures and are confident to express their wants and needs. Staff understand the importance of developing children's language skills. They talk to children during play, repeating words and introducing new ones to build young children's vocabulary. When drawing pictures, staff help children to think about and describe what they have drawn.
• Parents are provided with detailed verbal feedback about their children's day and, in the case of the younger children, daily written diaries are shared too. Staff share regular information with parents, such as the weekly food menus and guides to potty training and childhood illnesses. Children's progress is regularly discussed with parents, and they are involved in their children's learning and experiences. For example, older children take books home to read, and parents donate resources for the nursery. They help their children take part in events, such as World Book Day and a Spanish Day.
• The nursery's special educational needs coordinator works closely with families and other professionals to provide targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff ensure they then deliver an approach that helps children achieve their full potential.
• Staff work closely with the local schools that children will eventually move to, helping to prepare their transition into school. However, where children also attend another childcare setting, these partnerships have not yet been formed. Currently there is no two-way flow of information to jointly support children's care and learning needs.
• Children follow routines well and demonstrate positive behaviour in the nursery. Staff encourage children to share, take turns and manage minor conflicts with their peers. Staff introduce specific books and props that help pre-school children to understand and manage their emotions. Children welcome the positive praise and encouragement they receive.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• seek further ways to focus professional development opportunities on enhancing teaching skills and knowledge to a higher level
• implement effective procedures for sharing information with other providers that children attend.