Rockers and Rollers Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The conscientious and kind staff team welcome children very warmly, showing genuine interest and happiness at seeing them. Parents say that staff are like extended family and offer wonderful, caring support to the children. There is a calm atmosphere at this nursery. Staff show children respect and give them lots of reassurance and attention throughout the day. Younger children begin to share toys, and older children learn to negotiate with their friends and follow safety boundaries independently. Babies and children show that they feel safe and are very happy here.

Staff carefully form their curriculum around children's individual learning needs and interests. They have clear, well-communicated planning that helps them ensure all children progress well. Staff plan interesting age-appropriate experiences for children to inspire their curiosity and exploration and encourage them to build their confidence and skills. Babies are intrigued to explore sand, excitedly crawling into the tray, feeling the sand on their toes and leaning down to grab the grains, marvelling at the feel. Toddlers develop their imaginative skills as they explore mini beaches with toy sea animals, exploring the blue water and sand. Older children are fascinated by science experiments staff lead, watching as warm water makes colours run from items, to form a highly interesting rainbow. Children of all ages show positive attitudes to new experiences and are keen to learn.

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

• Children learn to appreciate the needs of others and develop their social skills on visits to the nearby care home. They join enriching events such as an inclusive sports day, with residents, staff and children joining in and having great fun. Staff and children also take part in events in the town such as 'Wells in bloom', helping children learn about and appreciate their local community. They successfully plant and grow flowers for the festival and win a prize.
• Staff offer children exciting opportunities to build their knowledge of the natural world. Children learn to care for ducklings and explore exotic animals that professionals bring in such as snakes. Staff also teach children to respect living creatures as they find them in the garden. Children are fascinated watching a caterpillar and a ladybird. They conscientiously take them to their nursery 'bug hotel', giving them a safe place to live.
• Partnership working is strong. Staff gain lots of information from parents and get to know children's needs thoroughly. They ensure any dietary requirements and health needs are methodically supported. Parents are very grateful for the assessments and ideas staff share, helping them extend children's learning at home. Staff work with parents and other professionals, making timely referrals to get children with special educational needs and/ or disabilities the help they need to reach their potential. They also liaise with other settings, parents and teachers very closely to prepare children for their move on to school.
• Staff provide useful opportunities for children to come together to learn as a group. They plan support for children to build their independence skills, doing things for themselves during routines of the day such as at mealtimes. However, staff do not consistently implement arrangements or consider their approach during these activities and routines to maintain children's interest, engagement and develop their skills as much as possible.
• Managers lead the provision well. They meet regularly with staff, both as a team and individually, to support practice and evaluate and outline areas for improvement. Staff regularly renew training such as safeguarding and first aid to keep their knowledge up to date. They also benefit from new ideas and knowledge to enhance the experiences they provide for the children. For example, they have undertaken training focused on children's oral health and teeth cleaning, linking to work they are doing with local dentists.
• Young children beneficially build their physical skills. They learn to stand and walk and negotiate steps safely, and the staff are very encouraging and excitedly clap and praise their achievements. Babies giggle as staff play peek-a-boo in tunnels in the sensory room and encourage babies' confidence to enter these and move in different ways. Older children show good control as they play physical games and use equipment. They develop their dexterity by building with blocks and coordinate their finer movements as they use crayons and pens to make marks and form shapes to draw and represent items.
• Staff inspire children's interest in books and their early literacy skills, also using these to develop children's communication skills very effectively. Staff encourage and respond to the sounds babies make as they explore a book together. Toddlers listen well to stories and join in eagerly with songs and actions. Older children know initial sounds for letters and eagerly sing along to phonics songs. They also knowledgeably offer repeated phrases and act out parts of the nursery's 'story of the week'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to implement arrangements consistently and consider their approach during activities and routines to maintain children's engagement and extend their development further.