Poppies Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are welcomed by friendly staff as they arrive at this setting. They enter happily and settle quickly on arrival. Children, including the youngest, confidently explore and choose activities. They chatter excitedly as they show their friends what they are making. Children are motivated learners and demonstrate a positive attitude towards their learning.

Staff have high expectations for children. They plan activities to capture children's interest and engage them. This means that children stay at activities for extended periods of time. Children develop a love for nature. Staff plan a broad range of activities and experiences to extend children's understanding of the world. For example, children learn about the life cycle of chickens. Children recently saw eggs hatch and are learning how to look after the chickens as they grow. Parents, grandparents and children were all invited to choose names for the three chickens.

Children's opinions are valued. Staff give them opportunities to make choices and express their ideas. Preschool children vote on activities that they would like to choose for the day. Older children learn about keeping themselves and their environment safe. For example, they take on roles such as being a 'safety spy'. With staff, they create a checklist of potential risks and take turns completing safety checks in the garden. This helps increase children's awareness of how to asses risks for themselves.

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

• The dedicated manager is passionate and enthusiastic about providing new opportunities and experiences for the children. She creates a broad and balanced curriculum. Staff report that they are happy and supported. Regular staff supervisions help to identify learning needs and check staff well-being.
• There is a strong key-person system in place. Staff see to their key child's intimate care and plan activities to support their personal development. They gather information from parents and use this to form strong bonds with the children. This means all children make good progress from their starting points.
• Overall, staff supervise children well. However, on occasion, staff fail to deploy themselves as effectively as they could to enable them to recognise when some children need extra support with tasks, such as when using the toilet. This leads to some children being left waiting for the additional support they need.
• Generally, staff manage children's behaviour well. Children show that they know the routine and receive encouragement to use good manners. Although, at times, staff do not consistently reinforce the settings rules to ensure that children understand what is expected of them. For example, not all staff help children understand expectations, such as not running indoors.
• Staff support children's communication and language very well. Staff introduce babies to new sounds. For example, while painting, staff make 'pop, pop' noises as they dab paint with their fingers. Babies then copy this action and make the same noise. Staff encourage younger children to build sentences and introduce them to new words. Older children take part in group activities and take turns to talk and share their views. They listen to their friends and consider other people's opinions.
• Children's mathematical development is supported well. Staff encourage children to count and support recognition of shapes and numbers. During walks around the local area, older children's knowledge is extended by completing a tally chart of the different colour cars they see. Regular trips to the charity shop and greengrocers support children developing knowledge on counting and money.
• Staff promote a healthy lifestyle. Children receive healthy, nutritious meals and snacks. Staff provide children with opportunities to cook. For example, children learn how to make a pesto sauce and take this, along with the recipe, home to share with their families. Children are given ample opportunities to exercise and develop their physical skills. Children join in with group sessions where they learn gymnastics and participate in dance.
• Children's personal, social and emotional development is supported well. Staff encourage children to recognise their feelings and to express these in an appropriate way. Staff plan activities to help children self-regulate. For example, in small groups, younger children take part in calming yoga sessions where they practise breathing techniques. They listen carefully and follow the clear instructions given by staff.
• Parents are very happy with the care and support the children and their families receive. They enjoy opportunities to come into the nursery and see what the children are doing. Parents report that they receive good communication and feedback about their child's day and progress. Parents comment that children's transitions are managed very well and they are updated on settling-in sessions when children move to the next room.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve staff's understanding of how to effectively deploy themselves to enable them to consistently identify when children need support and assist them swiftly with their individual needs
• support staff to be consistent in promoting behaviour management strategies, to build on children's understanding of what behaviour is expected of them.