Playdays Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this welcoming nursery. They feel safe and secure in the staff's attentive care. Staff have high expectations for children. They are good role models and offer children lots of praise and encouragement. Children are well behaved. They understand what is expected of them and are aware of the rules and boundaries in place. There is a strong focus on igniting children's natural curiosity and imagination. Children are confident to try out their own ideas. For instance, children place ice in the water tray to see what will happen. They find that the ice melts and explain their findings to staff, exclaiming, 'It has disappeared!'. Children experiment to see if other items, such as stones, will melt.

Children learn to make healthy lifestyle choices and their physical well-being is supported well. They have good opportunities to be physically active from the youngest age. All children play outdoors in the large garden each day. They learn to climb, run and ride tricycles. Toddlers enjoy weekly 'diddy dance classes' which help them to refine their large-muscle movements. Older children make regular trips to the local common. They enjoy activities, such as a 'bear hunt', which teach them to manage challenges and risks in the natural environment.

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

• The manager is constantly evaluative of the care and education the nursery provides. She speaks with great enthusiasm about developments to the provision. For example, the nursery is introducing home visits for children to help them bond with their key person before they start nursery. The manager works hard to supervise and mentor the staff team. Staff report high levels of job satisfaction and say that they feel well supported.
• Staff training is well focused to benefit children. For example, staff recognise that some children need more support in managing their behaviour, following national lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Training has helped staff to develop new strategies to address issues such as biting. Managers have introduced resources to help children learn about feelings and emotions. However, these are not consistently used by staff to support children's learning.
• Staff monitor children's development well and identify where best they can provide support. For example, a high percentage of children speak English as an additional language. Therefore, children's communication skills are given high priority. Staff attend relevant training and use a range of strategies, such as simplifying language and using visual prompts, to help children learn new words. Staff describe how children have gone from speaking very little English to becoming confident bilingual communicators.
• Children are keen learners and show that they thoroughly enjoy the activities provided. For example, babies are curious to investigate a tray of cornflour gloop using their hands. They gradually become more confident in their exploration and are motivated to climb into the tray and continue the experience using their whole bodies.
• Staff support good hygiene routines for children. For instance, they teach children to wash their hands before meals. However, at times, they complete tasks that children are capable of managing independently, such as wiping their noses or putting on their hats.
• Children develop a love of books from an early age; they look at books independently and are keen to listen when staff read stories to them. Staff carefully consider the books that they provide and skilfully use stories to support other areas of children's learning. For instance, children explore how to use materials creatively as they construct 'Stick Man' characters from a favourite book.
• Staff and children come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. This diversity is valued and celebrated throughout the nursery, helping children to be tolerant and respectful of others. Children are proud to share their experiences from home and enjoy celebrating events such as Diwali and Christmas together.
• The manager and staff have good relationships with parents. Staff share information on children's current development to help parents support and extend children's learning at home. Parents appreciate the interesting and varied activities that staff provide, and some say their children are reluctant to leave at the end of the day.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on the ways that staff support children's understanding of feelings and emotions
• help staff to strengthen their support for children's independence and self-care skills.