Pipers Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, safe and settled at this friendly setting. Parents have the opportunity to arrange settling-in sessions for their children before starting nursery. Children have a key person who supports them as they adapt to nursery life. As a result, children settle and build attachments with staff. Staff continue the settling-in process throughout a child's time at the setting. Children moving between rooms are able to spend time settling in to the next room before moving permanently when the times comes. This ensures that children feel confident to embark on the next stage of their learning.

Children have ample opportunities to play outside. Staff promote children's physical skills in a variety of ways. For example, babies enjoy using tools to scoop soil and fill containers. Staff support them planting seeds too. Older children love using the slide and splashing in puddles. They use ladles to scoop water and pour it into containers. They also love making bird feeders and searching for worms. Children's passion for learning shines through.

Children throughout the setting understand what is expected of them and they behave very well. Babies benefit from a familiar routine being followed in the setting, adopted from home. Older children are familiar with their routines of what they should be doing and what they will be doing next. For example, they know they need to wash their hands before lunch. Therefore, children learn the importance of hygiene practices.

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

• Leaders and managers have devised and implemented a curriculum that takes children's interests into account. In addition to this, each age group have their own curriculum goals to support the children within their rooms. Staff consider children's needs and interests and provide learning opportunities spontaneously throughout children's play. However, some staff do not adapt their teaching in the moment, in order to consistently build on what children know and can do.
• Parents are being welcomed back into the nursery following the COVID-19 pandemic when parents were not permitted to enter the building. Parents give the staff 'thank you' cards to express their appreciation for the care and education their children received during their time at the nursery. They feel the care their children receive is excellent. Staff provide information both verbally and electronically about children's day at the nursery. They also send home photographs and observations to keep parents up to date about their child's development.
• The manager provides inductions for all new staff. Once completed, these lead into regular supervision meetings. Supervisions provide staff with the opportunity to discuss their roles and agree any training to build on their professional development. Safeguarding is discussed and feedback from peer observations are shared in order to develop staff teaching skills.
• Children learn about the world in which they live by celebrating festivals. The children recently celebrated and learned about Eid. Resources throughout the setting support children's curiosity about the world. Staff have taken children on outings to the local park and on a bus to visit a farm. However, while children develop some awareness of the world in which they live, staff do not always provide opportunities to help children understand what makes them unique.
• Staff model language for children and are positive role models to them. Children enjoy looking at books. Older children sit in the cosy areas and look at books they have chosen, handling them with care. Babies love snuggling into staff who read to them. Staff praise babies who point at pictures and attempt to say the words. Staff use a communication toolkit to monitor children's speech and language. This helps them provide early intervention should a child need it.
• The play environments encourage children to be curious. They can move freely around the rooms and select resources and toys independently. Children's independence is developed further at lunchtimes. For example, staff provide children with cutlery and model how to cut their food. Older children successfully do this. When pouring drinks, staff support younger children who attempt to do this. As a result, children develop their self-help and independence skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's knowledge and understanding of how to adapt teaching in the moment, so that all staff are consistently building on what children know and can do
• provide even more opportunities for children to learn about equality and diversity and develop their awareness of what makes them unique.