Poppies Playhouse Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff work hard to create a warm, friendly, and nurturing home-from-home environment for children. They are extremely patient and respond kindly to children, who thrive in their care. Children arrive eagerly, excited to start the day ahead. Some run to staff with enthusiasm as soon as they approach the nursery door. Staff support children to develop confidence and high self-esteem. Older children talk to unfamiliar adults with ease. They show a sense of belonging as they talk about the routines of the day and the things they enjoy at nursery. Staff have high expectations for children. They encourage them to do things for themselves. Children get their own coats on and off. They help to set up activities and tidy away resources.

Staff foster children's sense of family and community. A high priority is placed on enhancing children's understanding of their immediate area and the wider world. Staff regularly take children on trips out in the local community. Strong relationships have been established with elderly residents to benefit children's social awareness. Children enjoy the long-standing practice of visiting the local care home and Alzheimer's ward. Residents and children regularly exchange cards to keep in touch and celebrate key events. Staff support children to develop life skills. For example, they take children to local shops to purchase groceries for cooking activities. Weekly library visits enhance children's love of books and stories.

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

• Leaders support staff to implement an effective educational programme, which builds on children's prior skills. The curriculum is carefully sequenced from the baby room through to pre-school to extend what children already know. This helps to prepare children for each stage of their education.
• There was an occasion where the provider did not follow the correct procedure when concerns were raised about a member of staff. However, leaders have taken immediate action to ensure that safeguarding procedures have been strengthened. Leaders have improved their knowledge and understanding of the local safeguarding partners procedures relating to concerns about staff. As a result, safeguarding procedures are now robust.
• Staff get to know children and their families very well. New children benefit from gradual settling-in sessions. Staff gather information from parents before children join to help them to become familiar with children's routines, interests, and abilities. This helps to provide good continuity of care.
• Leaders put children at the very heart of the provision. They are flexible in their approach to meeting children's needs. When staff identify children who play and learn better in smaller groups, they implement group activities with fewer children, or reduce capacity in rooms. Session times are adapted to suit the times when children are more alert. However, staff do not consistently focus their planning on what individual children need to learn next to help children make the best possible progress.
• Children behave well. Staff consistently praise positive behaviour and offer gentle reminders about rules and boundaries. Children play cooperatively with their friends. For example, as children play outside, they spend some time building a walkway made of bricks and then take turns to walk across it.
• Communication and language development is a core focus during children's time at nursery. Staff assess this area of learning particularly closely and work with other professionals to support children where gaps are evident. Staff engage children in daily singing and story times. Children thoroughly enjoy singing, stretching, and moving their bodies during 'wake up, shake up' activities.
• Staff help to promote children's good health. Children learn about how exercise affects their bodies as staff encourage them to feel their heart rate after exertion. Children talk about healthy food helping them to grow 'big and strong'. Staff work with parents to ensure children benefit from nutritious meals and snacks.
• Overall, the quality of teaching is good. Staff interact well with children as they play. For example, as children make pictures of people, staff encourage them to count how many eyes they add. Children use a range of materials to create artworks. They proudly show off their finished work on wall displays. However, on occasions, staff set out activities without sufficient explanation or modelling to help children to focus their attention and fully engage in the intended learning.
• Parent partnerships are extremely strong. Staff provide regular information to keep parents informed about their child's care and learning. Parents are very complimentary about the staff and the care their children receive. They comment that the nursery has a strong family feel, that many aspects of the provision are amazing, and they would highly recommend the nursery to others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to focus planning more precisely on children's individual next steps to help promote the best possible progress
• develop teaching even further, to help focus children's attention on what staff want them to learn.