Planet Kids Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children of all ages settle quickly and feel secure in this welcoming and friendly environment. Children are very confident to talk to the inspector as they bring her a 'cup of coffee' in a 'very special teacup'. Older children work together to build a new house made of bricks. They make links with what they have learned by trying to 'huff and puff' the house down. Toddlers remind staff that it is time for the 'toothbrush train'. They excitedly brush their own teeth and say that they brush them because they don't want to go to the dentist or get sore teeth. Children learn to embed good oral hygiene practices that keep their teeth healthy.

Babies wiggle their bodies and shake instruments as they join staff in singing nursery rhymes. They join in with actions and laugh with excitement as the singing and actions get faster. Younger children cuddle up to their key person as they share stories. Children extend their vocabulary as they sing songs and discuss books. Older children use props and books to prepare them for their next steps. For example, they practise dressing in ties and school polo shirts as they discuss preparations for going to school in September. One child suggested a 'granny smith' apple and a cucumber as they explore what food could go into a healthy lunch box. Older children are ready for school.

Children access a range of materials in the indoor and outdoor space. They use a hosepipe to put water into a tray that they excitedly jump and splash in. They ride bicycles outside and fill containers with mud and sand. They paint and use utensils to make marks. Children develop their small and large muscles and movement skills.

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

• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are extremely well supported by staff. Staff work closely with parents and a range of professionals to ensure that individual children's needs are identified and supported, and this helps them make excellent progress from their starting points. Leaders use additional funding creatively to help children to experience targeted learning. For example, children attend forest-school sessions that enhance their sensory processing skills. Children with SEND flourish in all areas of their development.
• Overall, care practices are good, and children are well supervised. Most children sleep on flat, waterproof mats with individual bedding to prevent cross-contamination. However, some children sleep for prolonged periods in pushchairs, and this does not always ensure children's comfort and freedom of movement as they sleep.
• Snack and lunchtimes are a sociable occasion where children demonstrate the good eating habits and behaviours they have learned. They chose from the healthy vegetables that they have grown in the garden. They use their manners as they engage in conversation with staff and their peers. Younger children independently use cloths to wipe their own face and hands after eating. Older 'helpers' carry plates of dinner to the tables, and children independently pour water into cups. Children develop independence as they positively contribute to the daily tasks of the setting.
• Leaders and staff have designed a well-sequenced curriculum that ignites children's curiosity and builds on what they already know. For example, they use all their senses to create cinnamon cupcakes or spicy pasta and porridge soup in their role play. Toddlers strengthen their small muscles as they squeeze and roll play dough in their hands, singing along with a 'dough disco' song.
• Children begin to develop positive attitudes towards the similarities and differences between themselves and others. For instance, they use pictures of their own families to discuss different-coloured hair and what makes them unique. They sort food and different containers so that they can be recycled. Children plant seeds and care for them as they grow into vegetables that they can eat. Children talk about what they see, as they develop their understanding of the world around them.
• Children listen to stories that are read with enthusiasm and intonation. However, staff do not consider how the use of a television in the toddler room is sometimes distracting and prevents children from becoming fully engaged with events and characters of the story.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Parents say that the manager and staff are very welcoming and that their support helps children to transition from home smoothly. Parents feel that they are very well informed about the progress their child makes and say that their children are happy and safe at the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review sleeping arrangements to ensure that all children are comfortable and free to move as they sleep
• consider how the use of technology can be a distraction from children's learning.