Pennies Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children fully engage in an exciting range of activities and learning experiences. For instance, younger children explore paint textures and colours, and older children investigate fruit teabags, thinking about different smells and strengths of colour. They smile and interact with staff and each other, showing they feel safe and beam with pride when they are celebrated for their achievements.

Children access a caring and inclusive environment that staff create, where children are kind to each other, share resources and take turns with support from staff. Children enjoy each other's company and staff support them in making good friendships.

Staff know the children and their interests well and plan interesting activities to support this, which promotes learning and the use of language for all children. Children enjoy both small and larger group times. They enjoy cuddling up on staff's laps to read their favourite story and sing and dance along to familiar nursery rhymes. They also take pleasure from learning in a large outdoor area where staff help them to use walkers, cars, chalk and balancing equipment.

Although COVID-19 has prevented parents from entering the nursery, staff have worked well on using other ways to continue supporting families and involving them in their child's learning journey.

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

• Leaders and staff are clear about the intent of the curriculum and have a shared vision for children's learning. It is ambitious for all, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, where extra support is put in place so they can access the same experiences. This enables all children to make good progress.
• Staff support children to develop good communication skills. They model back language and extend children's vocabulary through planned experiences. For example, staff use words such as 'dilute' and 'diffuse' when playing with water and colour.
• Those children who have identified gaps in their communication and language development receive targeted support. Also, for children who speak English as an additional language, staff ask parents to provide words in their home language to support children's understanding at nursery.
• Staff liaise closely with external agencies to support children's well-being and development. For example, physiotherapists support staff to use funding to find appropriate apparatus. This means that children with disabilities can access learning and enjoy the opportunities on offer.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the quality of care and education their children receive. They comment that they feel listened to and that staff are responsive and quick to act. This supports children to feel safe and promotes learning across home and nursery.
• There is an established key-person system in place, which works effectively for older children to support them in making close bonds and promoting independence. However, this is slightly less effective with younger and newer children who sometimes find it difficult to form secure bonds quickly.
• Leaders and staff work very well to make transitions within the nursery a good experience for children. They are planned for when children are ready, and they ensure they enjoy interesting activities, such as mixing up sparkling Christmas play dough. This supports children's emotional security and builds their confidence.
• Staff enable children to learn about other cultures and use parents to support this learning. They celebrate different cultural festivals and children have shared making their favourite foods from home with other children. This helps children to understand equality and diversity in our world and feel valued as an individual.
• Children explore the outdoor area with enthusiasm and enhance their physical development and understanding of taking risks in a safe, supported environment. Children enjoy balancing on the obstacle course, climbing frames and negotiating space using different ride-on toys.
• Leaders' knowledge of the curriculum and vision for providing high-quality inclusive care to all is strong and robust, helping to support staff and ensure learning is good for all children. Staff access regular training, which enables them to deliver good quality teaching to all.
• The leadership team give high consideration to staff well-being. They develop close, supportive relationships, resulting in staff feeling valued and appreciated. This helps them to focus on the children and provide good quality care and education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the key-person system when new and young children first start to attend, to enable them to develop even stronger bonds from the outset.