Nuffy Bear Day Nursery - Gloucester

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are welcomed into the nursery by the familiar and friendly staff team. They arrive happy and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Children greet staff with a cuddle. They are eager to enter their room and make choices about their play. Children explore a good range of resources and inviting activities. Babies play 'peekaboo' and giggle excitedly as staff cover their heads with transparent, coloured scarves. They confidently interact with visitors and excitedly push cars back and forth to them. Young children enjoy the time they spend outside in the nursery garden. They display a 'can-do' attitude. Young children excitedly kick a ball to staff. Staff are good role models. They support children well and demonstrate how to use a hula-hoop. Older children wiggle their bodies as they try for themselves. Children build towers with magnetic shapes and are supported by staff to recognise the reflection of shapes on the wall. Children benefit from well-sequenced learning activities. Older children learn about the growing process inspired by a discussion about an apple seed. Together with staff, they gather information from books and accurately acknowledge that seeds need water and sun to grow. Children proudly recall previous learning experiences and state that 'acorns grow on oak trees'.

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

• Staff provide a broad curriculum. They make accurate assessments of what children know and can do and are quick to recognise areas where they need further support. Staff work closely alongside parents and other professionals to make sure children make the best progress possible. For example, they encourage young children to grip onto a balance bar and pull themselves into the standing position. This helps young children to develop strength in their leg muscles in preparation for walking.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength of the nursery. Parent feedback is highly complimentary. They feel fully informed about children's time at the nursery and receive regular updates from their child's key person who they are familiar with. Parents comment on the extensive support for not only their children but for them as a family too. They state the staff team are 'so supportive and understanding'. Parents appreciate the ideas and suggestions staff give them to help with children's learning at home.
• Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to learn the importance of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. For example, older children take part in weekly swimming lessons, which helps to develop their physical skills and understanding of safety in the water.
• The staff team feel well supported both professionally and personally by the nursery manager. They state that the manager makes time for them, and she feels that this is a priority of hers. The manager has ongoing procedures in place to monitor staff's practice and highlight areas for development. However, this is not always fully effective in recognising when some staff may need further support with their knowledge and implementation of the curriculum to promote children's learning to the highest level.
• Generally, children behave well and are friendly towards their peers and the adults who work with them. However, on occasions, staff do not always reinforce boundaries for young children's behaviour. For example, at times, they do not stop young children from climbing into the sand tray and, as a result, other young children copy. This does not fully support children's early understanding of expectations for their behaviour.
• Children learn about the diverse nature of the world through discussions and activities that build their awareness of celebrations and cultural events. Staff gather information about important family traditions and make sure that they share and celebrate these. For example, children recently celebrated 'Lunar New Year'. The nursery organises visits from important members of the local community who help us, such as the fire service and dentist.
• The manager aspires to provide high-quality care and education for every child who attends. She meets regularly with staff to discuss what works well and to seek their ideas for areas for further development. For example, staff in the pre-school room are currently creating an area dedicated to children's emotional well-being. Their aim is to provide further support for children to enhance their understanding of emotions and learn to independently regulate their feelings and behaviour.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine procedures for monitoring staff's practice to improve their knowledge and promote consistency in the implementation of the curriculum across the nursery
• provide young children with clear and consistent boundaries to help them fully understand the expectations for their behaviour.