RockandRoll Daycare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed by staff who know them well. Staff put children at ease and are responsive to their needs. For example, when children become tired or need some support, they seek staff out for reassurance. Staff offer children cuddles and take time to comfort and support them. Children respond well to the warm and caring approach and quickly settle into their play. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. This has a direct impact on their emotional health, as they form secure attachments with staff.

Staff are passionate and excited about children's learning and development. They are excellent role models for children to learn from. Staff consistently teach children about the impact of their behaviour and have high expectations of them. All children are keen to help others. They understand the routines and instinctively follow them.

Children are highly motivated learners. Staff plan the curriculum and provide activities and experiences that stimulate children's interests while building on what they already know and can do. For example, staff prompt children to recall the story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. They consistently check that children understand the context of the story and introduce new words. For instance, they explain that locks is another word for hair. Staff ask open-ended questions to encourage children to link the story to their real-life experiences. The curriculum ensures that children are well prepared for their next stage in education.

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

• The leadership team is very strong. Recent changes to the leadership structure have enabled more support and guidance for staff. Supervision sessions are thorough, and leaders provide staff with an extensive training package. Newly recruited staff receive an in-depth induction programme. Staff feel very supported and are clear about their roles and responsibilities.
• Staff working with babies provide a wonderful nurturing and calm environment. They understand how to support and meet the needs of babies. Staff gather meaningful information from parents about babies' home routines and their emerging likes and dislikes. They sensitively help babies to become familiar with the nursery and their key person. Babies settle well and show confidence to explore the resources that staff provide and to try new things.
• Children become confident talkers. Staff engage them in conversations throughout the day, introducing new words and narrating their actions. They read stories and sing songs with children, who join in with great enthusiasm. For example, younger children follow the trail of the bear hunt depicted on a large display board. They excitedly shout out their favourite parts of the journey as they learn to tell a story. This helps children make excellent progress in their speech and language.
• Staff introduce mathematical concepts to children from an early age. Children skilfully identify hidden shapes within the environment and differentiate between sizes. Overall, staff implement numbers into the curriculum well. However, they do not consistently extend opportunities to widen children's mathematical thinking to raise their knowledge even further.
• Staff teach children to be independent from an early age. Babies watch themselves in a mirror as they practise wiping their noses. Toddlers pour their own drinks and serve their vegetables at mealtimes. Older children learn to independently manage their own personal care routines, including dressing themselves and putting on their shoes. This provides children with the skills and knowledge for their future learning.
• Children's dietary requirements and preferences are well managed. The menu provides children with a varied and nutritional range of meals. Children eat well. Staff encourage children to use cutlery from the start. They sit with children and chat with them as they eat, developing mealtimes into a social affair. Children learn about good hygiene routines. Older children know they wash their hands before they eat food.
• Parents are extremely happy with the care their children receive. They describe the nursery as an extended family and feel the staff are not only there to support their children but also their family. Parents know what their children are learning and how they can support this at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend opportunities to promote children's wider mathematical thinking.