Puffin's Pre-School and Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly and feel secure in this warm, friendly and caring environment. Children show that they enjoy their time at nursery. For example, they smile, giggle and talk excitedly with staff and other children about their day. Children separate confidently from parents and carers. They form strong bonds with staff, and babies seek them out for cuddles as soon as they arrive.

Children show positive attitudes to their learning and make good progress. Staff skilfully organise the environment to promote children's natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. Children benefit from a good range of experiences which prepare them well for their future success. For example, babies use spoons and scoops to stir oats and sand to make 'Gruffalo crumble'.

Staff are positive role models and reinforce their expectations of children's behaviour very well. They use a fair and gentle approach. For example, staff talk to children about how to solve disagreements and explain about emotions. As a result, children are well behaved and follow the nursery routine well. Staff recognise children's efforts and offer lots of praise when they succeed. Children respond to these positive reinforcements. This helps to boost children's confidence and self-esteem.

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

• The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language is a strength of the nursery. Staff quickly identify children who need additional support. They work effectively with parents and other professionals to put targeted strategies in place, tailored to children's needs and preferences. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development.
• Partnership with parents is effective. Staff make good use of settling-in arrangements to build strong relationships with families and children. Parents say that they appreciate the daily verbal feedback about their children's day at the setting, weekly photos and the activities given to them to support children's learning at home.
• Children develop good communication and language skills. Staff engage in conversation with children as they play, introducing new words to increase their vocabulary. For example, staff introduce the words 'splosh', 'oozy' and 'sticky' as children excitedly act out the story of 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' in the heavy-duty plastic tray. Staff skilfully correct children's pronunciation of words as they play, which supports children's speech and language skills well.
• Children develop a good understanding of mathematical concepts. Staff have worked hard to develop their own professional knowledge of how to bring the teaching of mathematics into everyday activities. For example, as children enjoy playing with sand and filling and emptying containers, staff use language such as 'full' and 'empty'. In addition, children are encouraged to count during activities as they use money to buy goods in the role-play shop. This supports children's understanding of mathematics well.
• The management team evaluates the provision effectively. It carries out supervision sessions with staff and checks in on their well-being in regular team meetings. Staff comment that they feel valued and respected in their role. Staff are supported to use resources such as online training to support their ongoing professional development. The manager values the individual skills of her team and rewards staff's good practice. Effective systems are in place to recruit and induct new members.
• Children begin to develop good levels of independence. For example, they find their own shoes, wipe their own noses and wash their own hands. However, occasionally, some staff do things for children which they could do themselves. For instance, staff do not consistently promote independence during routine times of day, such as snack time. Furthermore, staff do not effectively extend children's understanding of how to follow a healthy lifestyle during daily activities.
• Children have good opportunities to visit places of interest in the local community and learn about different cultures, religions and beliefs. For example, children thoroughly enjoy buying ingredients at local shops to use for cooking a meal for Diwali. Staff regularly discuss peoples' disabilities, similarities and differences while out on trips and through stories. Staff work hard to break down stereotypes that children may have. Children share celebrations with local residents. For instance, children helped to decorate the village Christmas tree and joined in Remembrance Sunday activities.
• Children have many opportunities to play and enjoy exploring outside. Children enjoy regular trips to the local park, woodlands and around their own local community. Older children have their coordination and fine motor skills supported well. For instance, they enjoy building dinosaur worlds from arts and crafts materials and train track. Meanwhile, younger children enjoy moving to music and learn how to 'stomp' like an elephant and 'boing' like a kangaroo.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop a more consistent approach to encouraging children to be more independent in their daily activities and routines
• build on children's awareness of why it is important to make healthy choices and live a healthy lifestyle.