Northumberland Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this welcoming and safe nursery. They quickly settle as they find their favourite activities in the exciting environment the staff have carefully created. The outside space is thoughtfully resourced, including natural materials for children to freely explore. This encourages imagination, as well as physical development. During a sudden downpour, staff actively encourage children to experience the fun of splashing in puddles and collecting rainwater in different-sized pots. These opportunities help to develop children's language skills as they talk excitedly about what they are doing. Staff further extend children's curiosity and interests as they allow children to watch ice droplets melt in their warm hands. Children demonstrate their knowledge well by explaining clearly that the ice melts due to the warm temperature of their hands.

The manager and staff evaluate their practice effectively and identify areas that they can improve. Recently, they have reflected on the organisation of the room for two- to three-year olds to enhance children's access to resources. Changes in the baby room have enabled young children to be more physically active inside. These changes have made a positive impact on children's development, behaviour and levels of concentration.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. All children are motivated learners, who make good progress and develop positive attitudes towards their learning. They are prepared well for their future learning.

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

• Staff have a very good relationship with parents. They talk to them about what children have been doing and find out information about children's interests at home. Staff use a range of methods to communicate with them. These include regular meetings and online communication, as well as talking to parents about their child's day. Parents feel that the staff keep them really well informed.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. They sing various songs and rhymes and introduce new words during play. Staff provide children with narration as they play and learn. However, occasionally, this can be too much and hinders children's ability to take in the language or have sufficient time to respond.
• Staff attend a range of training to strengthen their practice. For example, staff working with children aged under two years have attended training on safer sleeping and have reflected and adapted their practice as a result of this. This has improved the safety arrangements provided for babies, particularly at nap times.
• Staff manage children's behaviour effectively. They are good role models. Staff are kind and caring and develop strong bonds with the children. They teach children to be polite, kind to each other and to share and take turns. Staff teach children to develop a sense of right and wrong. Staff's interactions increase children's focus and concentration. This means children engage well in their learning and are quick to act on instruction. Staff remind children to use their 'kind hands' with their peers and use 'indoor voices' to promote children's positive behaviour. Staff introduce simple signing to support children with limited spoken language, and English as an additional language, to communicate.
• Leaders provide staff with regular supervision meetings to support them to fulfil their roles. However, at times, they do not support less confident staff effectively during play to further enhance the delivery of the curriculum. This means that teaching is not always of the highest quality.
• Staff support children to develop an awareness of healthy lifestyles. During lunch and snack times, staff talk to children about the benefits of healthy food choices and regular exercise.
• Staff implement strategies for early intervention well and ensure that children make good progress. Staff initiate action plans to support children before a referral has been made to outside agencies. This ensures that children's individual needs are met swiftly and effectively.
• Children practise self-care and independence skills, such as serving their own lunch. Additionally, older children concentrate in group phonics sessions. They learn how to read and write short words. This helps their literacy skills. Children write their names with care and accuracy on a whiteboard with careful help from a member of staff. Staff praise the children's achievements. Children show their obvious pride as they cheer themselves and each other.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build further on professional development opportunities for staff, to raise the quality of teaching and learning to the highest level
• support staff to provide children with sufficient time to process information and respond.