Sankofa Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy a warm welcome from staff when they arrive. They actively use the greetings board to show staff how they are feeling and how they want to be greeted. This helps children to develop their emotional literacy and express their feelings. Children separate from their parents with ease and settle quickly into play and learning. They show strong bonds with staff and each other. They enjoy reassuring hugs from staff, snuggle together for stories and talk about their friends who are not in today. This enhances children's sense of belonging and emotional security. Children behave well. They actively follow the well-established daily routines, which includes staff reminding children about what is happening next. This helps children know what is expected of them and creates a calm atmosphere.

Since the last inspection, staff have reviewed the curriculum, which now has a stronger focus on supporting children's communication and language skills and their emotional well-being. Children benefit from a well-sequenced curriculum that meets their individual learning needs and interests. Staff engage children in meaningful conversations where they introduce new words and explain their meaning. For example, while talking with children about the pictures they are using for their collage, staff explain that one bike is called a 'quad bike' because it has four wheels. This enables further discussion about motorbikes and successfully enhances children's speaking and listening skills.

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

• Staff have successfully met the actions and recommendations raised at the last inspection. This includes updated arrangements for staff supervision, enabling all staff to benefit from regular supervision and coaching that identifies their training needs and professional development. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved to a consistently good level.
• Staff show high regard to supporting children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. Children use picture cards to aid their communication skills and to express their emotions. Individualised planning and close working with parents and other agencies enable all children to make good progress in their learning and development. Inclusion funding is used purposefully to obtain resources that relate to children's individual learning needs.
• Good systems are in place to help children manage their behaviour through self-regulation. This includes regular sessions with the yoga teacher, where they learn breathing and relaxation skills that promote their well-being.
• Children develop good mathematical skills as they use tweezers to pick up and sort small different-coloured dinosaurs into matching tubs. Staff introduce new words, such as 'squeeze' and 'release', while demonstrating how to use the tweezers. Children become engrossed in the activity and enjoy praise given by staff for their achievements. Children then accurately count the number of dinosaurs in each tub and discuss with staff which tub has the most. This well-sequenced activity helps children to extend and consolidate their learning effectively.
• Children develop effective skills in managing their personal needs. They help themselves to water when they are thirsty and make choices of foods they like to eat throughout the day. Children show good hygiene practice, including appropriate handwashing and independently blowing their nose. Staff also work closely with parents to support children's toilet training. These increasing self-care skills promote children's personal independence effectively. Children choose where they want to play from the range of indoor and outside activities set out by staff. However, sometimes, staff do not encourage children to follow their own interests and self-select resources to promote their independent learning skills further.
• Staff regularly share information with parents about their children's progress. Parents like the new app where staff share information about daily events and the next steps in children's learning. Parents comment that their children have made good progress, especially in their language and communication skills.
• Children enjoy sociable mealtimes where they sit together and eat with staff. This enables staff to model good eating habits and engage children in mealtime discussions that further support their learning. For example, children talk about the foods they like and the vegetables they are eating. Staff encourage children to count how many potatoes they all have left and then discuss who has the most. This enhances children's mathematical skills during everyday activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on opportunities for children to self-select resources and develop their independent learning skills further.