Parklands Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have created an environment that oozes calm and tranquillity. Children cannot contain their excitement to enter this vibrant setting each day. They wave their parents off at the door and embrace staff with cuddles. Staff provide children with a curriculum that captures their interests and keeps them motivated to learn. For example, older children relish taking part in yoga sessions. Babies giggle with delight while blowing bubbles. Toddlers' laughter fills the air as they play ring games. Staff know children incredibly well. They give high priority to children's emotional well-being. Staff spend time getting to know children and their families during the settling-in period. Children develop secure bonds with staff and they feel safe at this nurturing setting.

Staff are excellent role models. They provide children with clear expectations for their behaviour. Children show positive attitudes towards their learning and are caring towards others. They talk about their feelings. For example, while looking at books with their friends, they talk about what makes them feel happy. Children have a strong sense of belonging. They are resilient and confident individuals. Staff encourage children to develop a 'can-do' attitude. Children demonstrate this when faced with new experiences. For instance, they are determined to learn how to use new play apparatus outdoors. Children do not give up until they have achieved what they have set out to do. These positive attitudes put children in good stead for their future learning.

Staff support children to become independent from a young age. For example, babies help to tidy toys away. Older children take care of their belongings and put their own coats on. They attempt to write their names. Children develop the necessary skills in readiness for their eventual move on to school.

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

• The setting has worked hard to bring about change since the last inspection. It has welcomed support from the local authority. Improvement plans are precise. The setting's capacity to continually improve is good. For example, through reflection, the setting has redeveloped play areas for babies to help to improve their upper body strength. Babies show good levels of physical dexterity.
• The setting provides children with an ambitious curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do. It has thought carefully about the small steps of knowledge children should learn and when this should be taught. Assessment arrangements are accurate and gaps in learning are targeted with support. This means that children make good progress relative to their starting points.
• Overall, staff receive the relevant coaching and guidance during appraisal meetings. Staff reported that they feel valued and respected in their roles. Their workload is manageable. However, the arrangements for staff's supervision are not as effective as they could be. This means that some staff do not receive incisive feedback about their interactions with children. Consequently, some activities do not keep children engaged in their learning.
• The support in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. Early help is sourced and intervention plans are highly successful. Children with SEND make good progress.
• In the main, the setting prepares children well for routines, such as group-time learning. However, it does not give the same careful consideration for when busier routines happen, such as lunch time and sleep time. This means that some children wait too long after they have had lunch to move on to the next thing. Consequently, some children become unsettled and lose interest in their learning.
• The setting supports children's understanding of the world very well. Children enjoy learning about festivals and celebrations. They try different foods and learn about cultural traditions. Children know that it is okay to be different. They talk about what makes them and their friends unique. Children develop a good awareness of what life is like in modern Britain.
• The setting supports children's physical development very well. It provides children with an array of activities. For instance, children relish taking part in football and sports day activities. They are keen to learn new skills, such as running outdoors. Children display exceptional levels of physical endurance.
• The setting promotes children's love of reading exceptionally well. It provides children with carefully chosen books, songs and rhymes. Children snuggle up with staff and talk about their favourite stories. They take books home to share with their families. Children read regularly and enjoy a wide selection of different books. This helps them to develop good habits for early reading.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine the organisation of routines, to help to keep children fully engaged in their learning
• provide staff with more incisive feedback during supervision sessions to help to improve their interactions with children.