Pennypot Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in the nurturing nursery environment. Babies and younger children develop warm, trusting bonds with the staff who care for them. Children are extremely happy, confident and safe. They show that they feel valued and respected for the individuals that they are. Children's behaviour is exemplary. Older children show genuine kindness for one another. They recognise that their friends have differing needs from their own, and they value and respect the different choices they make. Pre-school children show great maturity in recognising when their friends might need help, and they respond quickly and show high levels of sensitivity and respect for each other.

The curriculum inspires children to learn. Staff's expectations for children are exceptionally high, and children relish opportunities to learn as they play. For instance, toddlers work out how to adjust piping to experiment how quickly they can make the water flow. Babies excitedly explore sand and develop their excellent coordination skills as they grab wet sand and explore the different textures. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make excellent progress from their starting points. Children's speaking and listening skills are exceptional. They speak confidently to share their own thoughts and ideas. For instance, children talk about the Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations. They explain about the succession within the royal family and talk about palaces kings and queens live in. Children are exceptionally well prepared for their future learning, including their eventual move to school.

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

• The environment that staff create is warm, nurturing and inclusive for all children and their families. Children settle exceptionally well as staff take the time to get to know children's individual personalities, likes and abilities. The relationships that children build with staff throughout the nursery build the strong foundations they need to help children to be confident, self-assured and resilient. This helps to contribute to the outstanding progress children make in their personal, social and emotional development.
• The manager is a strong leader. Staff say they feel respected, valued and proud to work at the nursery. The manager implements highly effective supervision, coaching and support for all staff. She recognises the value of continuing to provide opportunities to build on staff's knowledge and skills. For instance, recent training on supporting children's behaviour helps staff to reflect and use techniques to enhance children's abilities to regulate their behaviour.
• The nursery staff offer exceptional support for children with SEND. The staff team coordinates the provision for children with SEND and follow a detailed assessment of children's individual needs which involves parents and external professionals. Staff put in place and share precise plans for what children need to achieve next. Children with SEND receive high-quality intervention and benefit from exceptional teaching from all staff, who tailor learning and play opportunities to children's individual needs.
• Partnerships with parents are well established and highly effective in supporting children's learning at home. Parents receive regular updates about children's daily activities and their key achievements. Parents value the innovative ways to support their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, nursery staff used videos online to share ideas for activities, and they created additional entrances to the nursery to enable parents to still have contact the room team where their child attends. Parents say how excited and happy children are to attend the nursery and how staff help children to reach their full potential.
• Staff's teaching is inspirational. They have an excellent understanding of the curriculum and how it benefits the children. They work exceptionally well to plan, provide, tailor and adapt activities to take account of what children know and what they can learn next in exciting and challenging ways. Staff across the nursery share the same ethos. This means that learning for children is sequenced exceptionally well. Where staff recognise children need additional help to catch up with their peers, they work closely together to target and offer support. This insightful approach means that children quickly catch up and excel in their progress.
• Staff's focus on promoting children's communication and language skills is exceptional. Babies benefit from a language-rich environment. For instance, staff share favourite books and model words such as 'web' and 'flutter' to help build on babies' early language skills. Older children are given time to think through and share their ideas, such as when they talk about their feelings. They use expressive language, such as 'shy' and 'nervous'. For children who speak English as an additional language, staff skilfully weave their home language in play. For example, they name 'aqua' for 'water' and use opportunities to speak Italian during children's play. The innovative ways staff use to support children to speak confidently and articulately are inspirational.