Parrock House Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are settled, happy and content in this calm and homely setting. Staff support them to explore and learn with wonder and curiosity. Children are positive towards new tasks and use their imagination skills throughout their play. Children enjoy being creative with real-life items. They weigh ingredients, mix them together and pass dough through a pasta maker. Furthermore, children make cups of tea with the addition of flowers to explore smell. They love to count spoonfuls of sugar as they stir them in. Children are respectful of the porcelain cups and saucers they play with. They tidy up with care and have pride in their nursery.

Staff get to know children well and respond swiftly to their needs and preferences during play. Children engage effectively with the wealth of experiences on offer to them. These are often extended by staff into the large outdoor area. Babies enjoy transporting sand down wooden slides, which they replicate outside by rolling balls down ramps. Staff build on what children already know and can do, helping their learning to evolve sequentially.

Staff fill children with confidence and boost their self-esteem. They offer plenty of praise and encouragement during children's play, helping them to persevere. Babies giggle with staff, and children seek cuddles if they feel upset. Staff support children to understand their feelings and how to respond to them. Children's emotional intelligence and security are a priority within the nursery. As a result, children are calm, caring and confident.

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

• Children hold lengthy conversations with their peers and staff. They show a good understanding of language and its purpose. However, staff do not consistently support all children's speaking skills in order for them to reach their full potential. For example, staff occasionally use words such as 'doggy' or 'birdy' during children's play. This does not give children the clearest representation of the English language. Additionally, staff do not remove some children's dummies swiftly enough to allow them to talk clearly during play. This said, language is part of all children's play from the start. Babies learn to sign 'thank you' and repeat staff's names.
• Partnerships with parents are well established and effective. Staff invite them into the nursery for monthly stay-and-play sessions to help them to understand about themes of play their children enjoy and how to continue learning at home. Parents are confident to share information about their children and are extremely happy with the updates they receive about their progress.
• Staff have a good knowledge of children's stages in development, including how to identify any gaps in their learning. They observe children to help continue their play using their interests and learning styles. Children play in a group, dressing up and pretending to be hairdressers and gathering their favourite items in handbags. Through good-quality interactions from staff, children remain focused for long periods. Children thrive alongside staff.
• Staff consistently encourage children's independence. They pour their own drinks, self-serve snacks and meals and brush their own teeth. However, occasionally, when children wipe their own noses, staff do not remind them to wash their hands or do not have the necessary facilities nearby for them to successfully carry out this self-care routine. This said, in the main, staff consider children's well-being and help them to learn the importance of being healthy.
• Staff help children to understand mathematical contexts in all aspects of their play. When children make volcanoes in the sand, they comment on the shape of the cone sieve and how they are making a 'big one'. Staff extend this by suggesting they make a 'gigantic volcano'. Additionally, children build large dens and use problem-solving skills to fit material to the shape and size of the construction.
• Children have a range of opportunities to make marks and develop their early writing skills. They make lists of superhero images they wish to print. Children mix paint to match a colour swatch and manipulate clay to help strengthen their hand muscles.
• Leaders and staff have clear intentions for children and share the same passion for the delivery of their curriculum. Staff are well coached and understand their role in children's learning and development. They complete training regularly. This has a positive impact on staff's knowledge and skills in order to provide a good level of education for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to understand and how to embed even more effective communication strategies, enabling all children to reach their full potential in their language skills
• support all children to carry out their own hygiene routines more thoroughly.