SADWICA Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting happy and eager to take part in the day. They form strong and trusting relationships with staff, which help them feel safe and secure. Staff know children well and use this knowledge to respond effectively to their interests and meet their individual needs. As a result, children are confident, settled and ready to learn.

Staff plan a curriculum that nurtures children's curiosity and encourages them to be highly creative in their play. Children invent their own games, such as pretending to be superheroes, and make full use of the extensive range of resources available. They show great enjoyment in sensory experiences, such as splashing in bubbles while washing toy cars. These activities contribute positively to children's development across all areas of learning.

Staff actively promote fundamental British values, such as kindness, respect and fairness, through daily routines and interactions, including turn taking and sharing. They provide opportunities for children to explore feelings and emotions, such as using smiley faces and circle time discussions. As a result, children recognise and manage their emotions effectively.

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

• Staff support children's communication and language development effectively. They read stories in engaging ways, asking questions that encourage children to predict what might happen. Children develop a clear love of stories and books and enjoy exploring texts independently. Throughout the day, staff model language in conversations and play, introducing new words such as 'mystery' to broaden children's vocabulary. As a result, children communicate confidently and express their ideas clearly.
• Effective systems are in place to identify and support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure each child's individual needs are fully considered. As a result, children benefit from an inclusive learning environment and are supported to make progress from their individual starting points.
• Staff set clear expectations and apply consistent boundaries to promote positive behaviour. Children understand these and demonstrate good manners, kindness and respect in the learning environment. However, at mealtimes, some children do not behave as well. For example, they put too much food in their mouths or talk with their mouths full. Staff do not address this effectively. This limits children's understanding of appropriate mealtime behaviour and important social skills they will need for later life.
• Leaders work closely with staff, providing support through induction, regular supervisions and ongoing training to maintain high-quality care for all children. Staff communicate effectively with parents, using home languages where appropriate, and build strong relationships that promote continuity between home and the setting. Parents value the family atmosphere of the setting and the strategies staff share to support learning at home.
• Staff provide a wide range of engaging activities that support children's language, creativity and understanding of the world. Older children draw characters from stories, confidently using a tripod grip, and explore cutting around hand shapes with scissors. Others enjoy making animal masks, drawing inspiration from a variety of resources. Staff model language effectively and ask thoughtful questions, giving children time to think and respond. Occasionally, however, staff give too much direction or complete tasks for children rather than modelling techniques, which limits children's decision-making, independence and critical-thinking skills.
• Staff provide opportunities that enable all children to access a wide range of experiences, including daily outdoor play and annual trips to the zoo and seaside, that support their wider personal development. The environment promotes identity and inclusion through resources that reflect different cultures and displays celebrating children's learning. Staff ensure children learn about cultures other than their own through regular outings to the library, local places of worship and markets. This supports children's sense of self and deepens their understanding of the wider world.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen expectations for behaviour during mealtimes to help children understand them and successfully develop the important social skills that prepare them well for later life
• ensure children have sufficient chances to think critically and practise skills on their own, rather than being directed or guided too much by staff.