Playaway Day Nursery UK Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in a highly stimulating and inspiring environment at this unique nursery. Children are made to feel extremely welcome by staff, who greet them warmly. Staff are attentive and provide high levels of exceptional care, which meets the needs of all children. Children's emotional well-being is supported exceptionally well. They spend time in 'family groups' where staff tailor the environment and their teaching to support children's emerging interests. All children make the best possible progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and two-year-olds in receipt of funding. Books feature in every room. Staff skilfully teach children to use books as a source of information, for example, children find out about farm vehicles in non-fiction books. Children show sustained levels of interest as they listen to staff reading stories. This supports children's early literacy skills excellently. Young children relish undertaking a 'Gruffalo' hunt and excitedly look for characters from the story that are hidden in the garden. Older children learn letter sounds during 'family group' time, successfully preparing them for school. Children are fully involved in decision-making and their ideas and thoughts are valued. Every achievement is celebrated. For instance, children's artwork and models are proudly displayed throughout the nursery. While home visits have been paused, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, procedures to settle new children into the nursery remain highly effective. Staff have enhanced other procedures to ensure they gather as much information as possible about children. They have also added extra sessions to help them build close bonds with new children.

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

• The management team are reflective and very passionate about continually improving the quality of the nursery. There is strong focus on the well-being of staff, who consistently state that they are extremely well supported. Staff have outstanding training opportunities, including bespoke training to support individual staff training needs. This ensures staff have an excellent knowledge of the curriculum and how their teaching has an impact on positive outcomes for children.
• Teaching is consistently of a high quality throughout the nursery. The highly experienced staff team continuously reflect on the engagement levels of the children. They adapt the ambitious curriculum to support children's progress based on what they need to learn next. Children maintain interest during activities and are highly motivated to learn.
• Children skilfully use a range of equipment in the outdoor area, such as balancing blocks, large tyres and planks. This encourages children to take part in challenging physical activities and take age-appropriate risks. Children also play an active role in assessing and reducing risks as they discuss the safety of the equipment and resources with staff.
• Mealtimes are a social occasion where staff and children talk about their day. Children are very independent. They proudly help to complete tasks in preparation for mealtimes, such as organising the tables and chairs and placing the cutlery. Children enjoy a wide range of healthy and nutritious meals. Fruit bowls are available in each room which allow children to help themselves throughout the day.
• Children's behaviour is superb. Young children play cooperatively together and older children are encouraged to help create their own rules for good behaviour. Therefore, children have a clear understanding of right and wrong. Staff are effective role models and teach the children to value and respect each other.
• Community and partnership working is a strength of the nursery. The management team have currently paused their practice of inviting visitors to the nursery, instead they support children to learn about the wider world through taking part in the gardening club activities and attending regular visits to the local community. Staff make excellent use of technology to gather information and help children closely follow their interests and ideas, such as to look up the sound grey squirrels make.
• Parents speak very positively about the nursery, and they state they cannot recommend the nursery highly enough. They comment on the comprehensive daily feedback they receive. They are extremely happy with their children's achievements and progress. Parents report that their children are ready for school.
• Early reading and mathematics are embedded in all activities. Children enjoy using clipboards and pencils indoors and outdoors to explore making marks and develop their early writing anywhere in the nursery.