Precious Kids Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this nursery. Learning is made fun and children benefit from an exciting range of activities. Children arrive happy each morning. They confidently wave goodbye to their parents and carers and eagerly anticipate the fun games and tasks that await them. Children benefit from plenty of affectionate care from kind and nurturing staff. For instance, mealtimes are wonderful social occasions. Children and staff eat together, discuss their morning experiences and talk about their family lives. Children enjoy the company of others and friendships flourish.

Children are provided with plenty of opportunities to be physically active. They chase bubbles, balance on bicycles, climb, run and navigate obstacles. Children are physically confident. Staff understand the value of children taking safe and supervised risks. For instance, children use a climbing frame with determination, while staff remain close-by, offering encouragement and supervision. Children show physical coordination, resilience and a great 'can-do' attitude as they climb. Children's good health is well supported as they experience fresh air and exercise every day. Staff remind children to be polite and use good manners. Children behave well. They learn how to tidy away their toys and look after their space. 'Now and next' cards are used to help children understand routines. This strategy successfully helps children to follow rules, as they clearly understand what is expected of them. Children learn right from wrong and are respectful and helpful.

This is an extremely diverse, inclusive and friendly setting. Children learn that everyone is different and celebrate similarities between themselves and others. This helps to promotes empathy, kindness and tolerance of the world. Children learn to look after their environment. They recycle litter, learning about the impact of their actions on the natural world. This careful and considerate teaching helps children to develop a mature appreciation of the wider world around them.

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

• The curriculum is broad and varied. The manager and her staff have worked hard, since the last inspection, to develop and improve the curriculum design. This has been successful and children benefit from plenty of targeted and tailored learning opportunities. Coupled with a well-planned curriculum, the nursery offers a vibrant learning environment. In turn, children remain continually occupied and play with curiosity and fascination. All children make good progress.
• The manager is ambitious, driven and motivated. She works with staff and external early years advisers to evaluate the quality of practice. Together they write, review and update a detailed action plan. This continual and collaborate approach to self-evaluation helps to drive improvement.
• A love of literacy is nurtured in this setting. Children benefit from a well-stocked library area in the nursery. This dedicated space offers children a quiet area for reading. In turn, children develop a thirst to read from a very early age. Parents comment that this is a great resource. Children borrow books from the nursery library and continue to foster a love for reading when at home.
• Staff help children to make a smooth transition to school when the time eventually comes. Children are prepared emotionally and developmentally for the next stage in their learning. They are taught to be independent, self-assured and resilient and have mastered key skills and knowledge in readiness for school. Staff develop links with teachers and share information to help children make a smooth transition to school.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff treat every child as a unique individual and invest time and effort getting to know their needs. Notably, the nursery benefits from an experienced and keen special educational needs coordinator. Children receive tailored support to help them to thrive and make progress.
• Staff help children to develop their language skills well. They offer continual narration during play, use song and rhyme and often repeat key vocabulary. Children hear plenty of words and are well supported in their language development. However, staff working with younger children often use closed questions, and children are not given sufficient time to practise talking or engage in two-way discussions.
• Staff benefit from regular training to enhance their skills, confidence and knowledge. The manager completes regular observations of staff and checks on their well-being frequently. Staff feel well supported and are happy in their work. However, greater emphasis on discussing workload may reduce some of the work pressures that staff experience, particularly during busy periods.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff skills to offer children more opportunities to talk and practise their emerging language skills through two-way discussions
• strengthen the arrangements in place for leaders to support staff workload and reduce pressure, particularly during busy periods, to enhance staff well-being.