Rainbow Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children of all ages and abilities are settled and happy during their time in the welcoming nursery. Staff are kind, gentle and know the children well. They understand how to meet children's needs and comfort them if they need it. Children have developed strong relationships with staff and trust the adults who care for them, which gives them a sense of belonging.

The manager is ambitious and driven to ensure that the nursery is continuously improving. They have constructed a curriculum that considers the children's needs and interests. Children are happy and engage confidently in their learning environment. Staff provide many resources and plan age-appropriate activities for them, indoors and outdoors. For example, older children work collaboratively to create a 'story web'. Children are confident to share their ideas and thoughts as they recall the story together. Staff encourage children to develop their critical-thinking skills through questions. Children confidently respond, adding their ideas to the story being created. This supports children's communication and language skills as they make-believe.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and instil good manners. As a result, children behave well and develop good attitudes to learning. Staff skilfully support younger children who are learning to walk to move around safely, which helps them learn to manage risks for themselves.

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

• Staff gather appropriate information from parents, which helps them get to know the children well before they start. Staff build on this knowledge by spending time with children and observing what they know and can do. Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of their key children and their individual needs. However, at times, this individual knowledge of children's interests, and what they need to learn next, is not consistently reflected in some planned activities.
• Babies have their care needs met with respect and kindness. Staff speak warmly to children during nappy changes and use these opportunities to build positive relationships. Children are developing their independence and self-help skills. Older children serve their own food at lunchtime. Younger children are supported to use utensils and feed themselves. However, at times, staff do not extend these opportunities to ensure that all children fully benefit from these opportunities.
• Staff are effective in promoting equality. Resources and books represent the different ethnicities of the children in the nursery. Furthermore, children are encouraged to talk about their families and home lives. Individual photo albums from home support children's conversations. This helps them to learn about and respect their differences and similarities to others.
• Children's physical health and emotional health are well supported. Older children are actively encouraged to take part in movement sessions before the start of their session. They learn to recognise the importance of exercise and being active for their bodies. Staff introduce new vocabulary, such as 'cardiovascular', as they encourage children to feel their heartbeat after being active. This means that children are developing an understanding of healthy lifestyle choices.
• Children develop a love for books. Staff regularly read stories throughout the day and children listen enthusiastically. Toddlers enjoy taking part in a story session. They excitedly use props to identify and recall the animal names. Staff skilfully use this excitement to introduce positional language. Children are learning to take turns as they wait to place their props 'under' or 'behind' a toy house.
• Children are confident in social situations and make good friendships. For instance, they happily play imaginatively together outdoors. They work cooperatively as they use their imaginations to recall the story 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'. Children demonstrate their listening skills as they discuss how the climbing frame could be the bridge for the trolls.
• Parents are extremely positive about the nursery. They have good relationships with the staff, especially their child's key person. Staff regularly share information with parents about their children's learning and development, giving suggestions of activities to do at home. Parents say that they feel supported by the nursery in their children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and strengthen the planning and organisation of group times to help fully extend the individual learning of all children taking part
• support staff to offer more consistent guidance to children to help them develop their independence and self-help skills even further.