Playtime Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children who attend this nursery thrive. They benefit from a broad and personalised curriculum that is tailored to their individual needs and abilities. As a result, they make very rapid progress in their learning and development. Staff make learning interesting and fun. Consequently, children are eager to join in and are highly motivated to learn. For example, older children experiment as they make magic potions using paint, vinegar, and bicarbonate of soda. They can name the primary colours and eagerly guess what colour they will make when they mix the paints together. They choose how many scoops of powder they will add to their potions, and say that the bubbles they make look like lava from a volcano because they are orange and red.

Relationships between staff and children are exceptionally kind and caring. Children's personal care needs are met sensitively. Children relish the comfort they receive from staff. They demonstrate their feelings of security as they actively seek staff out for a cuddle and involve them in their play. Children unreservedly bang on the door to the nursery as they arrive, and enthusiastically rush to greet staff and start their day. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They are sensitive to the needs of others and are polite and well mannered. Staff help children to talk about and manage their emotions and describe how they feel. Children know what makes them feel happy and sad.

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

• The nursery benefits from an extremely strong, motivated, and knowledgeable leadership team. They lead a team of dynamic and enthusiastic staff, who are proud of their accomplishments and who strive to enable children to be the very best that they can be. The manager has a superb overview of the curriculum, and a comprehensive knowledge of what children need to achieve at each stage of their learning and development.
• Staff's professional development is given the utmost priority. Staff attend copious amounts of training to enhance their already excellent knowledge and skills. The manager and senior leaders regularly audit the quality of staff interactions and the activities provided for children, to ensure they are purposeful and inspire children to learn.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive exceptional support. Staff are quick to recognise and act on any concerns to ensure that children receive any early intervention they may need as swiftly as possible. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and other professionals to implement highly effective plans that enable all children to be fully integrated into the nursery environment. The addition of a sensory room provides a calm and soothing atmosphere for children who struggle to regulate their emotions.
• Children learn to be respectful of differences between themselves and others. They learn about the different make up of families and talk about other cultures and customs. Parents share information about the festivals that children celebrate at home, such as Chinese Moon festival. Staff have made kinetic sand and sent some home to parents with an explanation about the festival, so they can continue their child's learning at home.
• Children's communication and language are consistently supported and enhanced. Children learn new words and staff continually extend children's language and involve them in conversations. Older children talk about the medical instruments they see in a book. They know that if the doctor taps their knee with a hammer to make it go up and down it is called a reflex. Children look at the picture of the thermometer and talk about the reasons they may have a temperature, such as a bad cough. They say that if you have a cough you can have special medicine, and staff tell them that these are called antibiotics.
• Children especially enjoy the time they spend outdoors. Younger children have great fun as they stamp in paint wearing their wellington boots and make patterns. Staff introduce new words, such as 'splat' and 'stomp'. Older children twirl like a ballerina and play musical statures with dexterity.
• Children's health is given the utmost priority. Children enjoy healthy, home-cooked meals which meet their individual dietary requirements. They talk about the healthy food on their plates and know that chicken is protein and helps your bones grow strong. Children know that they need to eat healthy food to make their teeth strong and say that the dentist will be sad if they eat too much unhealthy food. Staff talk to children about having a little bit of unhealthy food and that it is called a balanced diet.
• Children are highly independent across all areas of their learning and development. They make choices in their play and independently help themselves to their food at snack time using tongs. There is a strong emphasis on encouraging children to develop their self-help skills in readiness for the next stage of their learning and the move on to school.
• Parents are exceptionally happy with the care their children receive. They say that the staff are excellent, and children are always happy to attend. They especially like the information that they receive and the activities that children take part in. They say that the nursery is five star.