Pencil Pots Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are warm, friendly and caring. Children are visibly happy and content at this setting. Staff form close bonds with children and support their emotional needs well. They are responsive to children's needs, giving reassurance and comfort when needed. Children show they feel safe and secure. Staff plan activities well to interest and engage children. Children are keen to join in and try and have good levels of concentration during their play. Overall, staff manage children's behaviour well. They remind children of the rules and what is right and wrong to help them understand what is expected of them.

Leaders have an ambitious curriculum intent. The setting has a clear focus on developing children's communication and language, and their personal, social and physical skills. Staff know what children need to learn next and they generally plan activities well to help them build on what children already know and can do. They adapt the way they teach well to meet the needs of all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For instance, staff provide regular small-group sessions for children who may need extra support in their development to help meet their individual learning needs. All children make good progress in their development.

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

• Leaders have worked conscientiously to improve practice at the setting following the last inspection. They work well with other professionals, such as the local authority, to seek guidance and feedback. They act on advice given to raise the quality of care and education offered to children.
• Staff know their key children well. They make accurate assessments of what children are able to do and use these effectively, overall, to plan age-appropriate activities that help children learn what they need to next. For instance, babies develop their small hand muscles well as they scoop up rice in their hands to transfer onto plates and into bowls. Pre-school children progress on to use scissors skilfully with good control. Staff sequence children's learning well across the setting to help them develop good hand-eye coordination and physical skills.
• Leaders and staff work well with other professionals and parents to meet the individual needs of children, including children with SEND. They share information effectively to help ensure consistency in children's care and learning provided in the setting and at home.
• Children develop their communication skills well overall. Staff model language well to children while they play and give them opportunities to share their ideas and thoughts, such as during story time. Older children enjoy recalling parts of the story and are able to express themselves well. Babies enjoy using words to name objects in their play. Children develop good language skills. However, at times, there is scope for staff to enhance their interactions with children to extend children's conversation skills further.
• Staff support children effectively to develop their independence. For instance, they encourage younger children to manage their own self-care, such as wiping their own nose and putting the tissue in the bin. They support older children to serve themselves at mealtimes. Children confidently and carefully use cutlery with good control to eat their food. They develop good levels of confidence and self-esteem.
• Staff successfully share their expectations with children to help them learn what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. They give reminders to children to help them understand boundaries. However, staff do not consistently teach children the consequences of their behaviour to help them develop their understanding of how their actions can have an impact on themselves or others.
• Children have good opportunities to be physically active to support their health and well-being. For instance, they enjoy using balls to kick and learn to balance and move on beams and obstacle course equipment. The setting provides healthy and nutritious foods for mealtimes to help children learn about healthy lifestyles.
• Leaders provide good opportunities for staff to improve their understanding of their role and responsibilities. They check on staff's performance well, for example, through regular observations of their practice and supervision meetings. Leaders successfully help staff to refresh their knowledge and skills, such as through staff meetings and training.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to strengthen their interactions with children to extend the opportunities children have to enhance their conversation skills
• improve the support that staff provide for children when teaching about behavioural expectations to help deepen children's understanding of the consequences of their actions.