Paper Moon Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely happy and settled. They are highly motivated to learn, and eagerly join in with the thoughtfully planned activities on offer. For example, staff arrange mealtimes to enable children to have a restaurant experience. Pre-school children sway to the French music, which plays softly in the background. Staff present new vocabulary to children, such as 'linguini' and 'ratatouille'. Children enthusiastically practise the new words until they say them correctly. Toddlers engage in two-way conversations as they confidently talk about what vegetables they have on their plates. Babies spontaneously start to sing the dinner song as they recognise the routine has changed. They communicate their needs through signs and gesture, enabling them to make choices. This is highly effective in supporting children's communication and social skills.

Children's developing independence skills are of the highest priority. All children approach daily routines with excitement and care. For example, even the youngest children relish cleaning up after mealtimes. They busy themselves as they scrape left-over food in the bin, use cloths to clean the tables and skilfully use brooms to sweep up food from the floor. Children helpfully tell each other where spilled food has been missed. They politely refuse help from staff, preferring to try for themselves. Children prepare their own snack. They carefully use knives to cut bananas in half. Children manage their own safety. They know they must be careful and remind each other that knives can be dangerous. Children are well prepared for future learning.

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

• Staff value children's uniqueness. They have expert knowledge of children's abilities and development. Staff have created a highly effective environment, which encourages children to freely choose activities they want to engage with. Staff know exactly when to interact with children to build on what they already know and can do, and when to allow them to explore.
• Staff are excellent role models. They teach children how to care for resources, so they are available for the next child. Children manage themselves and their feelings. They share ideas and negotiate during group activities. Children readily allow younger children to join their play. They show patience and kindness, offering to help them to take part in their game.
• Staff provide an abundance of activities to encourage children to be physically active. Children demonstrate agility as they climb, ride trikes, and throw balls. Staff recognise those babies who are showing an interest in walking. Babies are helped to use push along toys to enable them to gain confidence with their walking skills. Managers provide opportunities, such as football coaching, which children would not normally have access to. This helps them engage in regular exercise and develop their coordination skills.
• Staff astutely recognise children's natural curiosity. For example, children are full of wonder as they explore magnets. They are in awe when some magnets pull together objects and others push them away. Children repeat this activity showing surprise each time. Staff talk about how magnets work and support children to keep experimenting. Other children build a structure from magnetic shapes. Staff encourage children to think about how they are building the roof, and the shapes and colours of the pieces they are using. This supports children's growing mathematical knowledge.
• Children demonstrate a deep love of books, which staff have thoughtfully placed throughout the nursery. Toddlers readily chose a book and approach staff to read it to them. Children cosy up to staff and listen intently to a story. Additionally, staff notice children who are playing with trucks in the sand. Staff enhance their play by introducing a book on how trucks work. Children fully engage, confidently ask questions, and suggest noises trucks may make.
• Staff provide a multitude of activities to enable children to develop their small-muscle skills. This supports their readiness for early writing. Pre-school children draw lines and circles. Staff present additional challenge and draw different shapes for children to copy. Toddlers are keen to make play dough. They tell staff they need flour and water. Toddlers remain highly focused as they stir the ingredients together and use pipettes to squirt in the water.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive. They state the numerous ways their children have grown in their development. Parents refer to the nursery as 'vibrant' and say that staff provide the children with a rounded experience. They feel their children are more than ready for school.