Scallywags II Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive enthusiastically to attend nursery and receive a warm welcome. They confidently say goodbye to their parents. Children are encouraged to hang up their coats on their labelled pegs. This helps to give them a sense of belonging and builds on their independence. Staff are attentive to children's needs. They talk to parents on arrival, offer children cuddles when required and give reassurance, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

Children are excited to engage in the wide range of activities on offer. They make choices in their play, select resources and show a positive attitude to their learning. For example, children confidently use tools to roll and cut dough, extending their fine motor skills. They play games, follow the rules and take turns to find the matching items. Staff engage in children's play and build on their interests. Younger children enjoy blowing and popping bubbles.

Children get to know the routine well. Staff use the visual timetable to show them what is happening 'now' and 'next'. Staff role model the behaviour that they expect. Children understand the nursery's rules. Staff give gentle reminders when needed and children respond and behave well. Children use good manners and older children support their younger peers.

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

• Staff gather useful information from parents when children first start. They use this alongside their observations to plan activities across the seven areas of the curriculum. Staff build on children's interests and previous experiences to help them make progress in their learning. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points in learning.
• Staff place a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. They engage children in conversations and introduce new vocabulary. Younger children repeat words, which helps to increase their sentences. Children enjoy sharing stories and singing together. Staff ask questions and give children time to respond. However, they do not consistently use questions to provide children with challenge to extend their knowledge further.
• Parents are positive about their views of the nursery. They state that staff are caring and their children have made strong attachments. Parents feel their children have made good progress with their confidence, self-help skills and have increased their language. Overall, communication is good, and parents receive feedback on their children's routines and daily activities. However, staff do not consistently share children's next steps in learning and ideas to continue children's learning at home.
• Staff are passionate about providing high-quality care and education, where they promote a culture of diversity and inclusion. They ensure that resources, activities and ethos support children to learn about their own uniqueness and wider families. Staff support children to use their home languages alongside learning English. Children learn about different cultural and religious festivals and listen to music from around the world. This helps children to develop a positive view of themselves and others.
• Children enjoy daily opportunities to be physically active and develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles. They demonstrate their skills in the garden, steering trikes and balancing along equipment. Younger children enjoy kicking balls and making marks with chalk. The nursery has healthy balanced meals delivered and provides daily snacks. Children learn about the importance of good hygiene and oral health.
• Staff promote children's mathematical and literacy skills well. For example, children dig for letters in the sand, recognise sounds in their names and enjoy listening to stories. Children count and show an interest in large numbers. They draw and identify shapes and follow instructions to learn directional language. Children fill and empty containers and understand about weight and capacity.
• The manager regularly reflects and reviews the nursery's provision and practice. Staff discuss what is working well and seek views from children to support their planning. Staff work well as a team and have regular supervision sessions. The manager monitors practice and identifies areas for further training. This enables staff to increase their knowledge and improve their teaching skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the use of questioning to challenge children's thinking and increase their knowledge further
• share children's next steps in learning consistently with all parents along with ideas to continue children's learning at home.