Pitta Patta Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, settled and eager to learn. Staff create a calm and nurturing environment, building strong relationships that help children feel safe and secure. Older children show exemplary behaviour. They show high levels of consideration for others. They actively share toys and tell other children when they have finished so that they can have a turn. Children follow staff's instructions exceptionally well. For example, they wait patiently and steadily go inside when the rain gets too heavy.

Highly effective teaching across the nursery is encompassed by staff's shared vision for children to learn through exploration during continuous access to both indoor and outside play. The key-person system is securely embedded in staff's practice. Consequently, children's individual care and learning needs are successfully tailored and incorporated into a well-sequenced curriculum, enabling children to make the best possible progress.

Children demonstrate a clear understanding of safety while using the woodwork area with staff. They know to put on goggles to protect their eyes and to pick up any nails they drop on the floor. As children learn to use tools, staff encourage them to compare the 'swirly' screws, 'smooth' nails and different textures of wood. This extends children language skills effectively. Staff demonstrate how to use tools safely while inspiring children's creative skills as they discuss what they are making. Staff seize every opportunity to extend children's learning further. For example, they help children recognise different shapes and sizes of wood and encourage them to write their names then count the letters. This successfully enhances their early literacy and mathematical skills.

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

• Leaders and managers are inspirational. They provide excellent support and guidance to staff, enabling a culture of teamwork and high standards across the nursery. Robust systems for recruitment, induction and ongoing supervision ensure staff have a secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Leaders clearly advocate staff training. Consequently, staff are highly motivated. They provide highly effective teaching methods in a rich and exciting learning environment, which results in children making excellent progress.
• Staff communicate extremely well with one another so that children experience seamless transitions between all their activities and routines. Children show sustained engagement in all their activities and daily routines, which flow effortlessly and contribute to their exemplary behaviour and secure personal development.
• Parents comment that their children are thriving and love coming to the nursery.
• They value regular updates from staff about their children's progress, including activities to extend children's learning at home. Leaders provide several opportunities for parents' engagement, including a parents' committee, stay-and-play sessions, events and celebrations, and parents' evenings to discuss their children's progress. Parents explain that managers and staff listen to them and they are 'incredible'.
• Staff skilfully engage babies in group song times, using puppets and props that successfully hold their attention. Babies play instruments and excitedly move in time to the music while staff sing familiar songs. Staff give lots of praise as children make good attempts at naming animals and the sounds they make. They have fun exploring the puppets, and staff show them how to make them move.
• Children benefit from a rich learning environment where they gain hands-on experience of nature and living things. For example, they help staff to care for the wide range of nursery pets and animals. Toddlers feed the rabbits and peep through the windows of the hutch to watch them eating. Older children help to rear the chicks in their group room until they are big enough to go into the large chicken run in the forest school area.
• Children successfully develop their physical skills, showing good coordination while using a range of wheeled toys and outdoor play equipment. They have constant access to the large forest school area where they skilfully climb, balance and confidently use rope swings and hammocks. Babies actively use soft-play equipment and enjoy praise from staff who encourage and support their walking skills.
• Older children are independent learners. They are highly motivated and show their free creative expression when drawing and making things. Staff engage children in meaningful discussions and show excellent skills in following children's interest to extend their learning further. For example, when children talk about flowers they have at home, staff ask them what their plants need to help them grow and then extend the discussion further to discuss bees. This challenges children's thinking and successfully develops children's speaking and listening skills as they keenly join in the discussion.