Playhouse Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff place children's confidence, well-being and learning at the centre. The close partnerships established with parents, as well as the effective key-person system, mean that children's needs are well known and understood. Children behave very well. They quickly learn about the nursery routines and the simple rules that are there for their safety. The atmosphere in the nursery is very calm and staff gently support children to play and learn together. Staff encourage children to talk about how they are feeling by using 'zones of colour', which helps children to self-regulate their emotions.

Staff are always there to remind children about turn taking and being kind to each other. For example, children are encouraged to use 'magic words' such as 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff support children with their social skills so that they learn to interact with their friends. For example, the children love playing games together. The older children have a running race while balancing balls on small bats. They giggle with delight as they see who can balance their ball the longest. Younger children are given challenges, such as to make sandcastles in the sand. Children receive extensive praise and warmth for their achievements. This helps to support their enthusiasm and gives them a positive sense of their own identity and independence.

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

• The management team have an ambitious vision for the kind of provision they want to run and they prioritise training for staff. Staff feel valued and appreciated. The manager conducts regular supervision meetings with the staff to monitor their performance and support them to gain future skills. Staff speak favourably about the benefits and impact of the training on their knowledge of child development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well at the nursery. Staff recognise the importance of early intervention to help to support children and to swiftly attend to their needs.
• Staff understand how important children's communication and language is for their future learning. They have lots of meaningful conversations with the children. They monitor children's language and work hard to close any gaps. As children progress through the nursery, they develop into confident talkers and motivated learners. For example, staff talked to children about London and where they live. This helps to develop children's knowledge for future learning.
• Children love looking at books and staff read to the children using lots of expression and emphasising new words to them. For instance, staff read a rhyming book to the children, asking them to join in with the refrain. Babies love singing songs and nursery rhymes, responding to the different props in the basket.
• Staff support mathematical skills well. They name shapes and use terms, such as 'big' and 'one more', as children play. Older children confidently count to 10 and beyond. Younger children begin to match objects and learn number songs. These experiences give children a secure base for mathematical learning.
• Parents are highly complimentary about the staff at the nursery and say that staff build strong bonds with their children. Parents are supported with an online nursery system that keeps them informed about their children's progress.
• Staff plan a wealth of activities that intrigue and excite children. The management team implement a curriculum that prepares children for the next stage of their learning. This is designed to help children make the progress they are capable of. However, some older children's group activities could be planned more precisely to challenge their learning and build on existing knowledge.
• Due to the layout of space, some of the activities set up in the nursery mean that children can be restricted in extending their imagination and creative ideas. This includes in the construction area, where children do enjoy using the resources but they can be limited to self-select.
• Children's physical development is well supported from a young age. For example, children balance on beams or climb over frames. Staff support children to take manageable risks in their play. They encourage children to try out their ideas and to have a go. For example, babies are encouraged to climb over apparatus or crawl to go 'under the bridge'. This helps children to develop a good understanding of their own strength and abilities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen planning for group activities more precisely so that children can fully benefit from the learning opportunities and build on what they already know
• review the organisation of the different areas of the nursery, to enable children to explore and test out their ideas even further.