Old Macdonald's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are enthusiastic and excited to begin their day in this incredibly stimulating nursery. Babies beam at their familiar adults as they explore leaves that they have collected from the farm. Toddlers proudly talk to adults about their visits to the hairdressers. They are excitable as they use scissors to cut up spaghetti, pretending that it is hair. Staff are quick to extend activities for children to broaden their experiences. Children are happy and resilient. They smile as they try hard to push themselves forward on bicycles in the garden. Staff use encouragement and modelling to motivate children to be determined and confident at what they do.

The skilled staff have the highest expectations of all children. They rapidly identify those who may need additional support and ensure that this is quickly put in place, both in the nursery and in partnership with families at home. Children make dramatic progress from their starting points, quickly developing their communication skills and extending their vocabulary. For example, pre-school children enthuse about receiving a postcard from 'Paddington Bear' from Madagascar and explain to the inspector that it is in Africa. Children are motivated to learn new things, ask questions and share their own ideas with each other.

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

• Children have a breadth of opportunities to explore in the outdoor environment. In the garden, younger children splash in muddy puddles and collect mud in different pots and pans. Babies go to the farm to collect leaves and look at the animals. Staff extend this activity in the nursery, using toy animals, sounding out the names of them and singing 'Old MacDonald'.
• Staff teach mathematics exceptionally well. Babies sing number rhymes and staff model and represent numbers using their fingers. Toddlers delight as they talk about different sized vegetables on their plates while identifying numerals on a display board. Pre-school children delight in talking about positional language and how children are 'behind' and 'diagonal' from them.
• Children have outstanding opportunities to develop their language skills across the curriculum. Staff consistently introduce new language through very high-quality teaching and spontaneous interactions with children, which take place across the setting. For example, children look at a book about animals and learn that squids have three hearts. Children make remarkably fast progress to become confident talkers.
• The management team have developed well-being initiatives which have boosted the morale and confidence of the staff team. Staff, in turn, prioritise children's sense of well-being. For example, when children have new events going on in their lives, such as preparing for new siblings, staff create experiences so children can learn about babies and how to care for them. Staff arrange home visits to offer support for children and families as well as having an 'open door policy' at the nursery. Children receive daily encouragement to express their feelings and staff support them to learn how to manage these appropriately. As a result, children can regulate their emotions exceptionally well.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and deputy SENCo ensure that staff receive robust and tailored training on how best to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, all children make the best progress possible. Children with speech and language difficulties are quickly identified. Staff work exceptionally well with parents to ensure that children make rapid progress at home as well as at the nursery. Parents are truly valued in all decision-making and comment on the effectiveness of their partnerships with the nursery. Staff are keen to celebrate children's achievements with parents through regular meetings.
• The management team are very enthusiastic about their well-designed curriculum and support and coach all staff in their vision. Staff know children exceptionally well and meet weekly together to discuss what each child needs to work on next. This enables them to carefully tailor activities and learning opportunities to help children make the best possible individual progress.