Secret Garden Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the nursery. Staff greet them warmly and they respond positively to the nurturing attention. Staff are kind, caring and attentive. They provide emotional support for younger children when they need it, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Children understand expectations for behaviour and behave well. Staff support them to develop an understanding of their feelings and emotions. For instance, when children show disappointment, staff support them to consider how they can help themselves feel more positive.

Staff engage effectively with children. Children show that they are familiar with rhymes, songs and stories, joining in with words and actions enthusiastically. Older children learn how to follow instructions and move their whole bodies as they excitedly join in with a music and a movement session at the start of the day.

Children respond positively to staff's high expectations of them and are keen to do things for themselves. Older children are very independent and manage their own care needs, routines and hygiene procedures. Babies learn to wash their own hands from an early age, while older children wait patiently to use tongs to select their own snack.

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

• Staff collect detailed information from parents about children's development and home life when children first start in the nursery. In addition, they carry out regular precise assessments of children's knowledge and development stage. They use this information to plan activities and help all children make good progress in their learning.
• Parents speak highly of the leaders and staff. They talk about how the staff help their children to feel safe and to settle confidently. Parents comment on the strong partnerships and how staff share ideas for them to support their children's development at home.
• Children are keen to explore the good range of learning resources. They show deep engagement levels and develop resilience as they access the activities. However, on occasions, during small-group activities, staff do not consistently encourage children to follow their own ideas, thoughts and interests.
• An effective key-person system is in place. Children have secure emotional attachments with all staff, including their key person. Babies snuggle into staff as they prepare for sleep.
• Older children develop their independence skills. For example, they put on and take off their own coats and footwear as they access the indoor and outdoor environments. Children follow staff's instructions and learn to behave respectfully towards their friends.
• Children's language development is progressing well. Staff repeat the sounds that babies make. Older children learn new words as staff introduce letters and sounds. Where language is a barrier, staff introduce sign language to support all children's communication skills.
• Staff help children to develop mathematical skills in readiness for school. For instance, they count items of food on their plates at snack time and cotton wool balls during a cress-growing activity.
• Members of the management team are reflective and work well in partnership with each other. They create ambitious ideas for improvement and are clear about their strengths and weaknesses. Staff have regular supervision and support to access learning opportunities in order to enhance their skills to benefit children.
• Children enjoy nutritious, healthy, home-cooked snacks and meals in the nursery. They develop their self-help skills. For example, they pour their own drinks, select their own cutlery and have a go at cutting their food. However, at times, staff keep babies waiting for a long time. Consequently, babies become restless and repeatedly get down from the table.
• Staff recognise that children enjoy outdoor learning and allow plenty of uninterrupted time for children to play and learn outside. The large, well-equipped garden provides all children with many opportunities to read, play and learn. Older children are well supported to begin to develop their large muscle skills as they access a range of large climbing apparatus and very large tyres. Children are self-motivated and fully explore the whole nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review small-group activities so that all children have opportunities to express and follow their own ideas
• support staff to review the effectiveness of lunch and snack times to ensure they meet the needs of all children.