Playbox Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The caring and friendly managers and staff team warmly welcome children into the nursery. They reassure children who are new to the nursery and offer cuddles to children who seek out comfort when they are unsure or have tripped over. Consequently, children feel secure to explore new learning. For example, babies develop their physical skills as they learn to walk with the security of having a member of staff holding their hands.

Staff plan a wide range of activities for children to investigate that ignite their thirst for learning. Children enjoy discovering how paint can be mixed to make different colours. Staff encourage children to make their own choices about activities they want to engage in. They store toys in low-level drawers, so that toddlers are able to access resources for themselves. Young children learn to share toys and older children are becoming increasingly able to build relationships with their peers.

Children enjoy playing outside throughout the year. Staff encourage children to independently put on a sun hat before playing in the sunshine and have wellington boots ready for more inclement weather. Staff support children to plant and care for vegetables, which they later pick and eat for snack.

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

• The managers implement an ambitious curriculum, which focuses on children's interests and what children already know to promote further learning. They set high expectations for all children to learn and achieve. However, not all staff have a secure understanding of how to implement the curriculum consistently. At times, they do not recognise when some children need further support to extend their learning.
• Staff support children to develop their communication and language skills well. For example, they ask questions to encourage children to talk about their play. Staff support children to increase their vocabulary and develop their understanding. For example, staff read 'Dear Zoo' and encourage young children to name the animals and talk about their features, such as the giraffe's long neck.
• The managers and staff make sure that support is quickly put in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents report that managers and staff go above and beyond to access support for their children. Managers access support from other professionals and staff swiftly put plans in place to ensure that children and their families have the help that they need.
• Staff set high expectations for behaviour that children mostly adhere to. Children find the praise they receive from staff highly motivating and replicate this modelled behaviour in their own play. They say 'Well done' to their friends as they work together to build the train track, so that the train can travel in a circle. However, some children are not given the full support they need to understand how to manage their feelings and behaviour for themselves. Children are sometimes told what to do without an explanation as to why this is desirable behaviour.
• Children develop their physical skills well and staff encourage them to take on challenges as they learn new skills. Babies develop their fine motor skills as they paint with a variety of brushes outside, toddlers practise pouring water into smaller containers and filling moulds with sand. Older children make their own balance beam and challenge each other to walk to the end of it. Children learn how to climb the equipment in the garden as they watch and copy each other. Staff excitedly praise children for challenging themselves as they successfully climb independently.
• The managers and owners have a clear vision for the nursery, which is shared by all staff. They are passionate and dedicated in providing children with the best possible start. The owners and managers value the staff and they work together to create a nurturing nursery with a strong family ethos. The managers provide staff with professional development opportunities and carry out regular staff supervisions and team meetings. Following forest school training, they have developed the outdoor area to ensure children who prefer to play outside are provided with a wealth of learning opportunities. These develop children's knowledge and awareness of the wider world and experiences beyond their usual lifestyle.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide staff with support to further embed the curriculum, to offer children more challenge and to extend their learning further
• support staff to develop children's understanding of how they can manage their feelings and behaviour, so they can share resources and resolve conflicts during their chosen play.