Nurture and Grow Day Nursery LTD

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide children with a welcoming and inclusive environment. They form close relationships with the children, who demonstrate they feel safe and secure. Children arrive happy to see the caring staff and eager to start their day. Staff encourage children to take control of their learning. Resources are carefully chosen to reflect children's interests. Staff caring for babies are gentle and affectionate. They follow children's home routines to help them to settle and feel secure. Children behave well. They are polite and show kindness towards each other. For example, as children play, they listen attentively to each other's ideas and opinions. They happily take turns and tell their friends 'you can go first'. Staff ensure children have regular opportunities to play outdoors and engage in physical activities. Babies are settled and content. They enjoy the staff's interactions and frequently giggle with joy. Babies show their developing curiosity as they explore different resources within easy reach. Staff support children's mathematical development. Throughout the nursery, children learn to count and to recognise shapes and numbers.

Children are inquisitive individuals who demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. Staff prepare children well for their next stage of learning, including their eventual move on to school.

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

• Leaders have developed an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum based on children's learning needs and current interests. All children make good progress from their starting points. Leaders ensure any additional funding the nursery receives is spent effectively to further enhance children's development.
• Staff implement the curriculum with enthusiasm. They accurately identify children who may need extra help. Staff work closely with parents and outside professionals to provide targeted support to help children to make the best possible progress.
• Leaders provide regular supervisions for staff to support them to carry out their roles. They organise training to further enhance staff knowledge and teaching skills. Staff report high levels of support for their well-being.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They talk to children in a calm manner and help them learn right from wrong. Children behave well because they know what is expected of them. Staff support children to learn to manage their own feelings and understand the impact they may have on others.
• Children learn about keeping themselves safe. For example, they know the importance of washing their hands after using the toilet and why they do not run indoors. Children learn about road safety as they walk to the local library each week.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to widen their experiences. For example, during frequent trips to the town park, children travel on the local bus. Staff take children on shopping trips to the local shop. This helps children to learn about the local community and develop their social skills as they meet different people.
• Staff work effectively to develop children's communication skills. For example, they model language well and read to children with enthusiasm and excitement. Staff use children's self-chosen play as a starting point for lively conversations. They introduce children to new words, use repetition and help children to build sentences. Staff support babies to make the transition from babbling to using first words.
• Throughout the nursery, staff support children to develop their small muscles. Babies enjoy making marks in paint using different tools and resources. Older children use pens as they create different patterns. Staff encourage children to manipulate dough into different shapes.
• Overall, staff's interactions with children are positive and effective. During adult-led focused activities, staff enhance children's knowledge and skills effectively. However, during child-led play, some staff do not always help to fully extend children's learning beyond what they already know and can do.
• Generally, staff support children to develop their self-help skills. Babies start to feed themselves and older children can manage their own personal care. However, staff do not always recognise when older children are able to do more by themselves. Some routines are not organised well enough to help children to become highly independent.
• Partnership working with parents is a key strength of the nursery. Parents are impressed by the wide range of activities and experiences staff provide for their children. Parents appreciate the ideas staff share with them about how they can continue their children's learning at home. Parents say their children are eager to attend.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to extend children's learning as they play
• review the organisation of routines to provide children with more opportunities to become independent and do things for themselves.