Muddy Ducks Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to attend the nursery. They leave their parents at the door and come in happily, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure. Staff have high expectations for children's learning and offer an ambitious curriculum. Children have a positive attitude to their learning; they take part in activities with enthusiasm and excitement. For example, after reading the book 'The Three Little Pigs', staff provide children with hay, sticks and bricks so they can recreate the story. Children concentrate as the use small trowels to scoop 'gloop' to cement the bricks together. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points.

Children have positive attitudes to learning and take part in activities with great enthusiasm and excitement. They energetically challenge themselves as they use a large selection of resources that encourage them to be adventurous and physically active. Children have a wealth of opportunities to practise their physical skills. For example, they expertly navigate their way to the top of the small tree and climbing frames. They boldly assess risks and test out their physical abilities.

Children play harmoniously together, and collaborate as they work as a team, such as when making an obstacle course out of planks and crates. Children are kind as they offer each other their hands to help them balance across the planks. They confidently develop the skills and abilities they will need for the future.

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

• Staff have a good understanding of how young children learn and develop. They provide a varied curriculum using their observations and assessments to build on what children already know and can do. Staff plan experiences and opportunities based on children's current interests. They support children to develop their understanding of nature very well. For instance, children link previous experiences, such as different smells of flowers, as they plant bulbs in the garden.
• Overall, children's communication and language skills are supported well. Older children repeat new words such as 'bulbs' and 'perennial'. Staff sit alongside children in areas, such as the home corner, and join in with their play. However, staff do not consistently make the most of opportunities to extend children's communication skills even further. For example, at times, staff are not quick to identify younger children who would benefit from adult interaction.
• Children have ample opportunities to develop their imaginations. For instance, they concentrate intently when scooping and tipping soil into cake trays in the mud kitchen. Staff support children effectively to learn to play with others. As other children approach, staff demonstrate how to interact during imaginary play, such as by showing children how to read a recipe card to their friends. Staff skilfully extend this asking older children if they can write the recipe to take home. This supports children's early literacy skills.
• Children readily use mathematics in everyday play. For example, they count the number of scoops that it takes to fill their trucks with stone in the garden. Furthermore, staff challenge children to predict how many balls will fit a bucket.
• Children in this nursery are encouraged to be independent. For example, children remove their own coats and boots, they pour their own drinks at mealtimes. This develops children's confidence in their own abilities.
• Children's behaviour is very good. Staff are positive role models. They provide lots of praise and encouragement to children. This is demonstrated as they show young children how to interact with others. Staff model how to take turns, children go on to copy the positive example provided and share resources well.
• Parents are very happy with the nursery. They say that they would highly recommend the nursery to others. Parents comment that they are happy with the progress their children make at the nursery. However, staff do not effectively share with parents what they can do at home to help extend their children's learning and development even further.
• Managers seek training opportunities for staff to further develop their knowledge. Regular supervisions with staff are carried out, with targets set to support them in their roles. Managers support staff well-being and evaluate workloads. Staff report they feel supported and a valued member of the team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the good partnerships with parents further so that all parents consistently receive information about how they can support their child's individual learning at home
• support staff to be more vigilant in recognising when children would benefit from adult interaction to encourage their early communication even further.