New Foundations Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they feel safe and secure in this welcoming and homely nursery. On arrival, some parents leave their children with staff at the door, while others choose to go in with them. All children arrive content, happy and ready to begin their day.

The provider's curriculum planning has improved well since the last inspection and staff have high expectations for what children can achieve. They help children to learn new skills through their everyday experiences and personal interests. For example, older children talk about snails and draw maps to show where such creatures might live. They eagerly share their ideas about finding dark, wet spaces for them. Toddlers enjoy stories about underwater creatures. They go on to talk about the toy sharks and an octopus during water play. Staff respond well to babies' early social interactions, for example, as they ask for 'more please' at mealtimes. Children make good progress in their learning.

Managers place a strong focus on developing children's independence as they move through the nursery and on to school. Babies and toddlers attempt to wipe their faces after mealtimes and older children follow personal care routines with ease. Despite minor inconsistencies in how staff help children begin to manage their own behaviour, they continually motivate all children to enjoy their learning.

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

• Leaders and managers have worked hard to meet the actions set at the last inspection. They plan and implement an effective curriculum that builds on children's knowledge and interests and closes any gaps in their learning. They effectively support staff to improve their teaching skills and to help children make good progress in readiness for their future learning.
• Staff implement the curriculum for children's communication and language development well. They continually narrate children's play, ask interesting questions and introduce new words to develop each child's vocabulary. Older children are confident communicators who learn and repeat new and complex words. Babies enjoy the repetition of action songs that help them to develop their early speech and language skills.
• Staff have a good understanding of their teaching responsibilities. They fully embrace the provider's intentions for making children's transitions through the nursery and on to school a success. They do not always recognise when older children lose concentration, for example, during interruptions of focused activities or when noise levels rise. However, this does not detract from the good teaching in place overall.
• Staff place great emphasis on all children gaining a love of books and stories.
• Staff use story times to help children learn about the world around them and to develop their interests in different ways. For example, older children regularly act out their favourite stories in role play. Younger children explore natural resources and toy animals to build on their enjoyment of their favourite books.
• Children behave well most of the time and are kind to each other. Very occasionally, younger children copy the actions of others or fail to share resources. Staff do not take all opportunities at these times to help them begin to learn about regulating their own behaviour. That said, staff manage children's behaviour well overall, and children show good attitudes towards learning. They become respectful and inquisitive learners.
• Staff are consistently caring and affectionate towards the children. They know them well, which helps to create trusting relationships. Babies look for their favourite adults who are quick to soothe them when they need attention. Older children confidently lead in their play, for example, as they gently remind others that books are for reading, not for sitting on. Children develop good levels of self-assurance and well-being.
• Staff work effectively with parents and outside agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They understand how to meet their individual needs and help them to make good progress from their unique starting points.
• Staff provide parents with regular feedback about their children's progress and offer ideas for extending their learning at home. Parents report that they are very satisfied with the level of care and education that staff provide for their children. They value the regular feedback they receive from staff about their children's progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enable older children to focus even more during their learning experiences so that they further develop the concentration skills they need for their future learning
• consider further ways to help younger children regulate their own behaviour to build on the good behaviour management procedures in place.