Puddleducks Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive with eagerness to start their day at this warm and welcoming nursery. They leave their parents with ease to join in with the activities on offer. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and emotionally secure. They form close bonds with the staff who care for them. Babies receive plenty of reassurance and cuddles as staff recognise when they are tired or hungry. Children develop confidence and independence. They behave well. Older children talk to and engage with visitors to the nursery. Babies are given plenty of time to explore their surroundings and choose resources to play with. Toddlers dispense their own water to drink. Older children serve their own meals.

Children develop strong physical skills. Babies receive support and encouragement to take their first steps. Toddlers develop competence in catching and throwing balls. Older children pedal tricycles with increasing skill. Children enjoy exploring different media in all rooms. They make marks with pens, crayons and pencils. Children have fun making pictures with celery sticks dipped in paint. They develop an early understanding of mathematics as they fill and empty pots and pans with water. Communication and language skills develop well. Children enjoy joining in with singing and rhymes.

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

• The manager ensures that staff implement a clear and sequenced educational programme for children. Overall, teaching is good. Most staff adapt their interactions and activities to meet the learning needs of the children they care for. The manager provides support and supervision for staff to develop their skills further. She recognises that high-quality teaching is not consistent across the staff team and that further professional development opportunities will raise the quality even higher.
• Staff know children well. They carry out regular observations and assessments to find out what children already know and can do. Staff skilfully plan experiences based on what children need to learn next. They follow children's interests and simple themes to motivate children to engage in play. As a result, all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning.
• Staff work well with other agencies and professionals to support children with SEND. They provide one-to one care for children who require additional support, over and above the provision for which the allocated funding provides.
• Staff working with babies support them to wean onto solid food. They encourage babies to play with food, feel the textures on their hands and fingers. This means that when the time comes, they become confident in exploring and eating new foods.
• There is a strong focus on developing children's communication and language skills. Staff consistently talk to babies and children. They model language and introduce new words. Staff working with babies use simple sounds and repetitive words to encourage emerging babble. They ask older children, 'What would happen if…?' to encourage children to think and engage in conversation.
• Staff help children to learn about the community they live in. For example, they take children on outings to the local shop and farm. Staff take children to the library to help foster literacy skills. Children listen attentively as staff share books and read stories.
• Staff promote positive behaviour. There are simple rules and boundaries in place, which are adapted to suit each age group. Children learn to use 'kind hands' and to share and take turns. Older children are proud when their good behaviour sees their names progress from the sun picture to the rainbow during the day.
• Staff help children to deal with transitions well. Children spend time getting to know children and staff in rooms they move to as they get older. There are times when children in different age groups play and socialise together in the garden. When the time comes for children to move to school, staff show children photographs of their new school and share stories.
• Parents are very happy with the care and attention their children receive. Staff communicate with parents daily and provide ongoing information about children's care. However, there is scope to work more closely with parents to build further on children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• work even more closely with parents to support them to build on children's learning at home
• focus professional development for staff on raising the quality of teaching to a consistently high level.