New Life Pre-School Daycare Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders create a bespoke curriculum designed with the Christian ethos weaved throughout. They have created an environment that helps children to feel at home as they learn. Children ask for a cuddle with staff, who create strong bonds with children. Babies snuggle into staff when they feel unsure of visitors. Children confidently explore their environment, showing they feel safe and secure.

Staff engage with children well and support babies to be independent. They encourage babies to climb the stairs of a slide and manoeuvre their bodies to come down the slide. Older children create loose-part pictures in frames as staff encourage the use of new language. Staff ask children if they want their pictures 'portrait' or 'landscape', while showing the layout to them. This helps children to learn new words and understand how to position their frame.

There is a mutual respect between staff and children, who listen well and respond to staff. Staff role model manners with babies, who repeat them back. During lunchtime, staff say 'more please', which babies repeat when they want more food. Children follow instructions well and try hard to complete the task, such as putting their coats on their pegs. Children independently look after their belongings and ask each other for help.

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

• Leaders are highly passionate about creating opportunities for children to thrive in their learning. For example, they provide children with access to forest school environments when they do not have a garden at home. Leaders want children to experience more to excel in their skills.
• There is a focus on children's communication and language in the nursery. Staff use a focus book for older children. They introduce new words and embed children's understanding of new words in a variety of ways. For example, when children cover textures, staff mention 'fuzzy' and 'sparkle'. With babies, staff repeat words to model them and check babies' understanding. For example, during sand play, staff say 'pat' while babies pat the sand down or 'squeeze' when squeezing it in their palms.
• Staff use facial expressions and changes in their voices to engage children. They read stories with excitement and sing nursery rhymes, emphasising initial sounds. Children have a love of stories and learn new language.
• Parents and carers are involved in their child's development, for example, they attend workshops where staff demonstrate activities for children with dough. Children's faces light up as their parents arrive to play with them. Staff encourage parents to share what their children have been doing at home. Parents send pictures in so children can recap what they have done at home.
• Children are physically active, creating dough creations with their fingers to develop their fine motor skills. While babies run their fingers through cornflour, staff say words such as 'sticky'. Staff encourage children's gross motor development, such as when they support children to climb on the climbing wall outside.
• Leaders evaluate and assess the strengths and areas for improvement in the nursery. However, leaders have not consistently asked parents for their feedback on the strengths and ideas to improve the nursery further.
• Children enjoy a wide range of experiences within and outside the nursery. Staff encourage parents to share their home cultures. For instance, they show children how to create Diwali lamps and share traditional food. Staff take children to visit the bus and train station. Children enjoy being able to shop for their own pet fish for the nursery. This helps children to have an understanding of the world and learn about different cultures.
• Children demonstrate very good independence skills. Staff encourage babies to drink from open-top cups and feed themselves. Older children hang their own coats up and use scissors. Staff facilitate and support children when they find it difficult, helping them to try again.
• Leaders are eager to support all staff to develop professionally. Leaders are highly supportive and encouraging to staff. Staff comment on how valued they feel and how they are able to approach leaders, who are responsive to their needs.
• Staff adapt their practice for children with limited language or with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, they use bubbles and wait for children to give eye contact before repeating the action. Staff repeat the initial sound of the word 'bubbles' to help children hear the words. Leaders make timely referrals for specialist support to be able to enhance children's development. This helps children with SEND to make as good progress as their peers.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the evaluation process to include parental views more consistently, to inform and support further improvements in the nursery.