Playdays Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this inviting nursery. Staff tailor settling-in sessions to each individual child and their needs. They gather valuable information before children start through home visits. These visits help staff get to know the child and build early relationships. Close bonds are clearly evident between staff and children. As a result, children show that they feel happy, safe, and secure in their care. There are lots of opportunities for children to be physically active. All children enjoy daily outdoor play. They pretend to make fires by mixing colours and using coloured tissue paper. Staff use this opportunity to teach them about fire safety. They gently implement rules and instructions.

Children listen attentively when it is time to help tidy up and move inside. As a result, children are learning how to behave well and are being prepared for their next stage in education. Children are forming friendships. Staff encourage them to persevere with complicated tasks and work together. Children compete jigsaws with their peers. Staff regularly praise children and promote good manners. Children relish the sense of achievement when they complete tricky tasks. This builds their confidence and self-esteem. Staff plan for children's interests and next steps. They regularly assess children's progress and quickly identify any early gaps in their knowledge. Consequently, all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning from their various starting points.

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

• Staff report that the leadership team is very supportive. Leaders work closely with the team to ensure they have the guidance and training they need to fulfil their roles. There are regular staff meetings, where they refresh safeguarding knowledge and discuss curriculum intent. Additionally, staff have access to an online training portal, where they enrol onto courses to enhance their practice. Staff are happy and enjoy their roles.
• There is good support in place for children with SEND. Leaders work with the team to recognise and plan appropriately for children's individual learning needs through observations and ongoing assessments. They work well with parents, as well as other professionals to provide a consistent approach to meet the individual needs of children with SEND.
• Parents speak very positively about the nursery and the support their children receive. They clearly attribute their children's progress and knowledge to the expertise of the staff team. Parents comment that the nursery has a' warm family feel' and a 'nurturing environment'. They are regularly informed about their children's progress, and two-way communication is strong. This helps to build positive relationships between home and nursery.
• Children eat healthy and balanced home-cooked food. They have access to fresh drinking water and milk. Children help to serve their own meals and clear up after themselves. They successfully use cutlery to feed themselves and drink from an open cup. This supports their overall good health and independence.
• Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to be active in the fresh air and explore the local community. In the garden, children develop their balance and take safe risks when they explore the obstacle course with staff close by to support them. Staff teach children how to be safe when they go on walks in the local area and parks. Children develop their confidence in a range of environments.
• Children enjoy the sensory and creative opportunities that are available to them. They paint, make marks with chalks and explore sand with curious delight. Children build intricate structures for their imaginative small-world play. Children relish mixing different materials together, such as ingredients to make dough or natural items outside, and their curiosity grows as they are fascinated with the effects they create.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They help children's growing vocabulary through stimulating storytelling, along with many songs and rhymes. They introduce unfamiliar words to support children's emerging language, checking that they understand the meaning of the word.
• Leaders plan a balanced curriculum that is tailored to meet children's individual needs and abilities. They understand how to sequence learning to help children build on their existing skills and knowledge. However, less consideration is given to the implementation of the curriculum for mathematics. Staff do not consistently support children to develop and build on their use of number, shape and measure during their play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to embed the curriculum to have a focus on clearer learning intentions, particularly around mathematics.