My Favourite Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this nurturing environment. The settling-in procedures are well thought out to help children to quickly form strong bonds with staff and feel safe and secure. The experienced staff plan around children's interests. Children's work is celebrated throughout the nursery, and staff praise them for their efforts. Staff know the children well and plan carefully to ensure that they are meeting their individual milestones. Parents say that they are fully involved in their children's learning and are given advice on how to help at home, such as with early literacy, behaviour and potty training.

Children behave well, and there are a range of activities that motivate them to learn. They attend well during circle times. For example, children enjoy music sessions. They bang drums to the rhythm and sing along with toy farm animals to the song, 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm'. Staff pause for children to join in. Children listen carefully and respond.

Children learn about the importance of oral health. Staff model brushing teeth after mealtimes. They teach children the importance of visiting the dentist to check their teeth are healthy. Children enjoy making a collage of the teeth in their mouth and learning the names of the different teeth and their functions.

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

• Staff give careful consideration to the layout of the nursery. Babies have low-level furniture so that they can pull themselves up. There is adequate floor space to provide babies with opportunities to negotiate space. Children enjoy the range of climbing equipment, inside and outdoors. Staff support children well and encourage them to take appropriate risks and challenges as they play. This allows children to be confident and develop their core strength and physical skills.
• Children enjoy playing with shapes. Staff model the language of 'square' and 'triangle' as children fix them together to make 3D models. Children enjoy making towers out of larger bricks, and staff encourage them to add 'one more'. However, staff do not always take opportunities to extend their questioning to further challenge children's thinking and extend the learning opportunities.
• Babies enjoy sensory play as they explore dried cereal. They develop their small-muscle skills as they scrunch it, break it and pick up the small pieces to fill containers. Older children tear strips of paper and glue them to make dinosaur pictures. Staff recognise that the development of these muscles supports children's next steps in writing. They encourage mark making throughout the nursery, and children enjoy the designated craft areas where they can practise writing the letters of their name.
• Children enjoy mealtimes. Babies are supported to use spoons to feed themselves. Older children use cutlery, serve themselves drinks and cut and peel their own fruits. This further develops their independence and fine motor skills.
• Children behave well and sit and attend circle times and group activities. Staff have clear expectations of children's behaviour and model saying 'please' and 'thank you'. They have effective behaviour management strategies to support children, who occasionally find things tricky. Staff remind children to use their 'gentle hands'. They encourage children to calm down by modelling breathing techniques, giving them time and asking them in a calm voice to 'use their words' to communicate how they are feeling. This helps to support children's emotional development.
• Staff share stories to further support children's language development. Staff promote a love for reading throughout the nursery, and children enjoy looking at books independently. Staff use a range of books to teach children about diversity. For example, children explore different skin colours, cultures and disabilities. Staff encourage children to celebrate and embrace how they are all special and unique.
• The manager is hands-on in the nursery. She recognises staff's strengths and supports them by giving them opportunities to gain recognised early years qualifications. Staff work with a range of professionals to ensure that all children make progress. They have links with local schools to make sure that children are well prepared for the next stages in their education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to engage in high-quality interactions to extend children's play and learning and provide them with further challenge.