Oakley Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children across the nursery enjoy the warm interactions they have with staff. When children need comfort or reassurance, they seek out the member of staff they have become attached to. This meets the individual emotional needs for all children, including young babies and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps children to settle well at the nursery.

Staff plan activities based on children's interests, which ignites their curiosity and keenness to learn. For example, children eagerly wait their turn to feed the partridge chicks that have recently hatched. Staff introduce mathematical language as they show children how much food they should give to the chicks, which helps them to learn about different quantities. Children also learn to tolerate delay as they wait for their turn to feed the chicks. This supports them to develop an understanding of how to manage their own behaviour.

Children share their knowledge during group time. They talk about the 'brooder' being like the chicks' mummy, and staff explain that this keeps them warm like a 'duvet'. This enables children to connect ideas with their own knowledge and helps them to make sense of the wider world.

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

• The manager has a clear learning intent for all children to learn the skills they need to prepare them for when they start school. Staff implement this effectively. For instance, they encourage pre-school children to clean up after themselves once they have finished eating their lunch. This supports them to develop the essential independence skills to support their transition to school.
• Staff enjoy working at the nursery and feel that leaders support them in their professional development. For example, staff have accessed training to enhance their understanding of how to implement the curriculum. Staff share the knowledge they gain with other staff, and they consider ways to deliver this in their daily practice. This helps to promote the quality of their teaching, which improves outcomes for children.
• Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of their own key children and the children they are supporting in the absence of their key person. Staff know about children's interests, home lives and future learning goals. This helps staff to plan effectively and support all children, including those with SEND, with their ongoing learning and development.
• Children enjoy the activities that staff provide for them. For instance, staff show enthusiasm as they encourage children to listen to music and move their bodies in different ways. Children respond with equal enthusiasm, which supports them to engage in the activities and develop their physical skills.
• Staff support children to manage their behaviour. For example, they encourage children to share the toy trains with their friends. Staff give children time to process what has been asked of them. This enables children to think and respond positively by offering their friends a train to play with. However, sometimes, staff move children or wipe their noses for them without letting them know first. This does not fully support children to understand what is expected of them.
• In general, staff implement good hygiene routines. They clean feeding equipment and encourage children to wash their hands before they eat. Staff teach children about germs, which helps them to develop an awareness of how to keep themselves healthy. However, on occasion, staff do not wash their own hands after wiping children's noses, and they do not ask children to wash their own hands after stroking the chicks. Therefore, children are not consistently supported to develop a secure understanding of how to keep themselves healthy.
• Parents and carers are happy with the progress that their children make at the nursery. They feel that staff build strong bonds with their children, and, as a result, they know the children very well. Staff inform parents and carers of their child's progress and share ideas on how they can support their child's learning at home. This enables children to make consistently good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's understanding of how to further enhance their communication skills so that they can provide more effective support for children
• support staff to consistently implement good hygiene practices and routines.