Scribbles Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children part from their parents and carers confidently and settle quickly into their nursery day. They are keen and active learners, who are excited about the day ahead of them. Children are greeted by smiling staff, who spend time speaking to their parents to understand how the child has been since they last attended the nursery. Any information shared is quickly recorded within each room, so that other staff are aware.

Children enjoy participating in the wide range of activities organised by the nursery staff. They also join in with external extra-curricular experiences, such as yoga, dance and sports. Children have good relationships with each other and with staff. They giggle excitedly when, being read a story, staff joke with them by reading the wrong names. Children quickly inform them that they are wrong and correct them. Their care and learning needs are well met as key persons demonstrate a secure knowledge of the children that they have specific responsibility for. Children understand the nursery rules and follow routines well. Babies receive kind and caring attention from staff, who help them to grow and develop their social interactions, physical abilities and communication with others.

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

• The provider has worked hard since the last inspection to evaluate and improve her understanding of safeguarding procedures. She has introduced a new management team who now share the responsibility for different aspects of the nursery management. Baby room staff have reviewed and re-organised the room to ensure children's safety. The key-person system has been strengthened to provide individual care to every child, including in the main carer's absence. All senior managers now have access to relevant records.
• Some parents spoken to during the inspection are complimentary about the nursery staff. They comment that their children enjoy attending and benefit from the learning experiences provided. Parents, generally, feel that communication with staff is good and they receive a thorough handover at the end of the day. The management team endeavours to seek the views of parents, for example, through questionnaires. The team is continuously developing effective ways of responding to parents' requests to build greater partnership working.
• Staff are building on their knowledge and understanding of how children learn. They explore different approaches to children's learning, such as providing more resources that children can use for different purposes in their play. Some staff demonstrate a greater understanding of these new approaches than others. The management team is working on ways of developing staff's knowledge to a consistently high level across the nursery.
• Babies and toddlers enjoy warm, caring interaction from the staff in their rooms.
• They approach staff confidently and receive smiles and hugs from them as they follow their interests and requests. Staff encourage babies and younger children to explore language through songs and rhymes. They enthusiastically perform the actions, so that children can join in.
• Children enjoy sports sessions. They confidently pass balls to each other in a variety of different ways. They excitedly participate in the dance session, wiggling and moving in time to the music.
• Staff in the older children's rooms use clear and appropriate language to link mathematics to almost all activities. For example, children count when they line up to go outside.
• Children throughout the nursery are well prepared for their transitions from room to room and eventually for their move to school. Staff support children effectively to develop confidence when moving between rooms.
• Toddlers enjoy activities that help them to develop their small-muscle skills. For example, they confidently thread cereal onto dried spaghetti and count how many they have achieved. Staff support them well, using clear language to extend their learning.
• Staff use the knowledge they have about each child to plan purposeful and meaningful activities. For example, a number of families have recently had new babies. During activities around bathing, nappy changing and caring for dolls, staff encourage children to speak about their baby siblings and how they feel about this change in their family.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on staff's knowledge of how children learn, including through newly introduced teaching strategies to ensure children across the nursery receive consistently high levels of learning.