Noahs Ark Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this child-focused, nurturing nursery. Staff prioritise children's emotional well-being through tailored settling-in sessions and sharing of photo family books that help children to swiftly settle and build secure attachments with them. Staff are committed to supporting all children to reach their full potential. They identify and consistently review what children need to learn next. Staff form effective partnerships with local schools that children will attend. They invite teachers into the nursery to meet children and share information about children's individual learning needs. This helps children to build relationships with their new teacher and ease any anxieties about upcoming changes.

Staff are positive role models and have high expectations for all children. They teach them important social language and skills, such as how to say please and thank you. Staff challenge older children to solve mathematical problems, such as weight and quantities. Babies benefit from rich sensory experiences, such as soft fruit smashing. This fosters their curiosity and exploration as they feel different textures. Staff show younger children how to safely experiment with torches in a dark den. Children are fascinated to see how their skin appears red under the light. Children actively engage with staff's meaningful interactions during imaginative play. They pretend to be hairdressers, styling staff's hair. This helps them to re-visit and build on their real life experiences.

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

• Partnerships with parents are at the heart of this nursery. They are warmly invited to events that enable them to experience what it is like for their child to attend. There is a strong two-way flow of sharing information about children's individual care and achievements verbally, through an online platform and individual parent meetings. Staff provide a wealth of ideas to aid children's learning at home. Parents speak very highly of staff and the provision they provide. They comment on the 'fantastic bonds' their children have with their key person and how the nursery 'feels like a real community'.
• Staff promote children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle. They provide nutritious snacks and meals and encourage children to be physically active. Babies develop strength and balance as they crawl through tunnels and lie on inflated balloons, carefully lifting one foot off the ground. Younger children learn to assess risk as they crawl up ramps and climb in and out of tyres, building on their physical confidence.
• Leaders and staff plan an exciting and well-sequenced curriculum. They provide a rich range of learning opportunities that embrace children's interests and inspires their inquisitiveness and engagement in the enabling indoor environments. However, the same level of consideration to the outdoor curriculum is not yet embedded for those children who prefer to learn outdoors. Staff know the children they care for well and help to broaden their experiences. For example, children enjoy a visit from a beekeeper. They learn how honey is made and the purpose of using a smoker to safely manage bees and their hives. Ongoing assessments are diligently monitored by leaders to establish any aspects of learning that require a higher level of focus. Additional funding is successfully used to meet individual children's developmental needs.
• Children's behaviour is appropriate for their age and stage of development. Staff help them understand their emotions and those of others through daily discussions and stories. They manage minor disagreements calmly and with sensitivity. Babies take turns with their favourite toys, younger children persevere with tasks and older children begin to regulate their behaviour. They listen to others' ideas and take pride in their achievements.
• Staff support children to learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others. These reflect the cultural backgrounds of children attending and introduce them to other traditions to broaden their understanding of a diverse community. However, there are not effective arrangements in place to support children who speak English as an additional language to use their home language during their play, to enhance their speaking skills and support them to understand the daily routine.
• Leaders are highly reflective and demonstrate a strong commitment to the continuous improvement of the nursery. They invest time in supporting staff to develop their knowledge and skills through a range of methods tailored to staff's individual learning styles. Staff complete targeted training that focuses on enhancing their individual practice. Leaders routinely observe staff practice, clearly identifying areas for development, and provide ongoing support and monitoring. New knowledge is shared across the team to promote a consistent approach.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the outdoor curriculum to fully support those children who prefer to learn outdoors
• enhance opportunities for children to hear and use their home language.