Seedlings Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly in this nurturing nursery environment. They have warm relationships with staff and excitedly greet them as they arrive. Staff encourage children to develop their independence. For instance, children of all ages confidently self-serve their lunch and know to wash their hands when they come in from the garden. Children have good behaviour and learn how to share and take turns. Staff model the use of manners exceptionally well. Children confidently use sign language to say 'thank you' when receiving their snack and say 'excuse me' as they navigate around their peers.

Children have access to a wide range of resources and well-thought-out activities that suit their individual needs and interests. For example, children mix paint into a salad spinner and eagerly watch the patterns that it makes on their paper as they turn the handle. Staff read stories with enthusiasm and a sense of wonder. Babies look at books independently and follow the story with their finger. Older children snuggle up to staff and retell stories they know well. Children choose a book from the lending library to take home and share with their family. This supports children to develop a love for books from an early age.

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

• Staff understand the importance of supporting children's communication and language development across all areas of the nursery. Staff give children time to think and respond to questions and introduce new language into children's play. Children show confidence in their speaking skills from an early age. Babies point to animals as they read stories and quickly learn their names. Older children engage in meaningful conversations and excitedly describe what they enjoy playing with at the nursery. As a result, children make very good progress in this area of their development.
• The manager and staff have created an ambitious curriculum. Staff make effective use of assessments and observations to plan for children's individual needs. They watch children closely to find out what they know and can do. Staff plan stimulating and challenging activities to follow children's interests and support the next phase in their development. For example, younger children explore a sensory tray as staff enthusiastically read an associated story and encourage children to describe the different textures. However, at times, staff do not consistently give older children the focus they need during activities to be fully engaged to get the most out of their learning experiences.
• The nursery has developed strong parent partnerships. Parents speak positively about the setting, saying that they feel staff are approachable, kind and caring. They feel well informed about what their children are learning and feel that staff support children in becoming ready for the next steps in their education.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well throughout the nursery. The manager and special educational needs coordinator work with children's key persons, parents and external agencies to access the right support. They work together to plan and implement strategies that enable children to make good progress in their development.
• Staff support children to have a strong understanding of healthy lifestyles. They are provided with home-cooked, nutritious meals that are cooked by the nursery chef. Children have ample opportunities to play and explore outside and grow their own vegetables. For example, children plant seeds and discuss how the carrots will make their bodies 'big' and 'strong'. However, staff do not currently consider how to use opportunities to support children's understanding of technology to help keep themselves safe online.
• The management team is passionate about the service it provides. Managers lead the team with enthusiasm and strive to provide a supportive setting for children and their families. The management team values staff as the most important asset of the nursery. Staff show genuine pleasure in their work. They discuss how the management team supports them well and offers them opportunities to improve their professional development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the curriculum to help include opportunities for supporting children's understanding of online safety
• strengthen the support provided to staff to further develop their teaching practices so that they can enable more opportunities for older children to be deeply engaged in their play and develop high levels of concentration.