Rushden Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily to the nursery. Staff's warm welcome helps children, including those who are new, to settle quickly. Children demonstrate positive relationships with staff and each other. Younger children learn to play cooperatively as staff encourage them to share and take turns with resources. Pre-school children enjoy playing with their friends and show they care as they give each other a cuddle. They are confident to approach visitors and show their sense of fun as they engage in playful conversations.

Children are familiar with routines and gain an understanding of what is expected of them from a young age. Younger children are gently guided by staff to sit on the chairs and not on the table as they 'could fall'. Pre-school children are aware of the maximum number of children that activities can accommodate safely. They are happy to wait their turn until a space becomes available.

A love of books is actively promoted throughout the nursery. Staff make sure that a selection of reading materials is easily accessible to children. Babies sit with staff in cosy areas looking at books together. Outside, toddlers help themselves to books that interest them and choose to look at these independently. Pre-school children listen intently to stories. Staff skilfully use their voices to engage, capture and sustain children's interest. They introduce new vocabulary, such as 'author' and 'illustrator', and explain to children what these words mean.

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

• The manager and staff have taken positive steps to make the necessary improvements following the last inspection. They work well together to promote a cohesive and positive environment for children and their families. Supervision arrangements are effective in providing support and coaching to staff. Staff are encouraged to undertake relevant training to help build on their practice and promote children's care and education effectively.
• Parents are very complimentary about the nursery. They comment positively about the relationships with their child's key person and the high level of support their children receive. A range of useful information is readily available for parents to help keep them informed and involved in their child's learning, both in the nursery and at home.
• The curriculum is well planned and understood by both managers and staff. They know what they want children to learn and when. Staff take children's interests and previous experiences into account when planning activities. Overall, staff's interactions with children are positive and encouraging. However, at times, staff's delivery of some activities does not always match the capabilities of the children taking part. As a result, some children do not understand what is expected and subsequently lose interest.
• Children learn to be independent from a young age and gain the skills they need ready for their next stage in learning, including school. Babies learn to hold and drink from a cup without spilling, and toddlers learn how to use cutlery safely and appropriately. Pre-school children are encouraged to open the packets of food from their lunch boxes. Staff teach them how to put on and fasten up their shoes, including tying their shoelaces.
• Staff pay high regard to supporting children's communication and language skills, including children who speak English as an additional language. Throughout the nursery, staff engage in conversations with children during play and everyday routines. They introduce new vocabulary, model the correct use of words and ask well-timed questions. However, staff do not always encourage children who speak another language at home to use this language during play, to further support their language development.
• Staff are deployed effectively throughout the setting to ensure that children receive good levels of care and support. The established staff team and effective key-person arrangements promote consistency and positive relationships. Overall, daily routines are well organised. However, on occasion in the baby room, staff are not well prepared for the day. This results in them having to leave the room several times, which in turn unnecessarily unsettles some of the youngest children, distracting them from their learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. The special educational needs coordinator works closely alongside staff and other professionals and parents to ensure that children's learning and care needs are consistently met. Together with the manager and children's key persons, they identify how to make best use of additional funding in order to support children's individual learning needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to support staff in the delivery of activities to ensure these are tailored to the needs of the children taking part
• enhance opportunities for children to use their home language during play in order to further support their language development
• review the organisation of the baby room to minimise unnecessary disruption for the youngest children.