Roberts Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

When children arrive, they are eager to play and learn. Staff provide them with a warm and enthusiastic welcome which helps them to settle quickly. Parents provide staff with the relevant information to help them tailor the activities during the children's day. Staff know all the children very well and adapt the curriculum to meet their individual learning and development needs. They provide children with a large range of activities they can freely choose from and enjoy. All children make progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff effectively support children's emotional health. They provide a narrative and visual cues on what is happening next. This helps support children in the transitions between activities and routines. Staff help children understand time and know when activities are about to finish. They help children to understand the behaviour rules. Children recall these rules. They say that 'you must always use kind hands and listen to what others are saying'. Staff are strong role models. They are calm and gentle and have a tactile approach to those children who respond positively to being held and cuddled. Staff ensure that any unwanted behaviour is dealt with fairly and swiftly.

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

• Leaders have implemented positive changes in the nursery since the last inspection. They work alongside staff in order that they can monitor their practice and raise the quality of their provision, such as through additional training. For example, staff have attended courses to develop their skills on supporting children to regulate their behaviours. This effectively supports children to understand what is expected of them. Sleep matts and bedding are now available for all children who need to rest during the day. All staff fully understand safe sleeping practices.
• Leaders are proactive in seeking help for children where gaps in their learning are identified. Staff work with outside professionals to provide strategies that allow children to access a fully inclusive curriculum. They work tirelessly to create a memorable and stimulating learning experience for all children, including those with SEND or who speak English as an additional language.
• Staff have developed the outside space into a rich learning environment. Children enjoy climbing and negotiating obstacles as they play with their friends. They build large towers out of construction bricks. Staff ensure that children receive experiences that they may not have had before, such as riding a bike or a scooter and engaging in water play.
• Staff use every opportunity to support children's understanding of healthy lifestyles. Fresh fruits and vegetables are provided, and children have the opportunity to taste nutritious foods that they may not have previously tried. Children know that they must regularly wash their hands and drink lots of water. Staff show children how to care for their teeth and why this is important. Children know that they must reach the teeth at the back when brushing.
• Overall, staff are effective in their teaching and children are enthusiastic and motivated in their learning. Staff use children's existing knowledge and current interests to plan a balanced curriculum. However, at times, staff's interactions with children do not fully support them to build purposefully on their learning. On occasion, this means that children do not consistently benefit from the learning opportunities available.
• Staff plan a range of adult-led learning activities. They use observation and assessment in order to plan children's next learning steps. However, occasionally children's next steps are not carefully matched to their needs, to ensure that planned experiences successfully help them move forward in their development.
• Staff share stories with children, which helps children to develop a love of reading and to learn how to handle books. Children are given time to offer their opinions about characters in a book. Staff encourage them to provide their thoughts on what may happen next. Children learn to sit, listen and concentrate. Children's communication and language skills are promoted well throughout the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to strengthen their interactions with children further, to more consistently extend their learning
• strengthen staff's understanding of how to identify next steps for children's learning that are more precisely matched to their individual needs.