Shooting Box Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident and are aware of their surroundings. They develop close bonds and attachments with their key person and other staff. When children arrive, staff greet them at their level with hugs and cuddles. This helps support children's self-assurance, confidence and sense of belonging.

Children thoroughly enjoy stories. They listen carefully, fully immersed in the story due to the animation of staff voice, use of pitch and tone, to support children's vision of the story. Children retell and predict familiar stories. For example, young children tell staff what the Gruffalo is going to do next. Older children listen with excitement and astonishment at stories about elves. They relate the story to experiences of characters at home during Christmas time. Children show a thirst for knowledge and are eager to learn.

Children learn to make close friendships and develop relationships with others. For example, children in the baby room greet their friends with hugs and kisses, pleased to see them and introducing them to their play. During group activities, older children find loops on the parachute for their younger friends to make sure they are included in the activity.

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

• Children learn to develop self-help skills early on in the setting. Toddlers sit together at snack time, learning to use knives to spread the butter on crackers, and some pour their own drinks. Older children learn to put on their coats through demonstrations. They are introduced to simple skills of flipping their coats over their heads to put them on themselves. They eagerly await lunchtime, washing their hands and finding their name cards to identify their place at the table.
• Children show ever-increasing imaginations through role play and small-world play. They incorporate voices and use language to express their creativity. However, children's imagination is not consistently encouraged through expressive art and design. Children, in the main, spend time completing staff's designs. They have limited opportunities to express themselves with paint, textures and mediums for their own designs.
• Staff know how children learn best. They provide challenges and resources to extend their thinking and play. For example, older children explore puzzles, thinking critically as to what piece to look for next. They match the colours and shapes to successfully finish the task. However, the ongoing learning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is not always linked to their interests or preferences in play. Staff do not always know what strategies to use to fully support the next steps in their development.
• Children's language and speech are promoted well throughout routines and activities. There is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated experiences. Staff engage and interact with children well, using their interests to lead conversations and develop their confidence to express themselves. For example, during group activities, children excitedly sing along with familiar songs. Younger children explore sounds in their play, with expressive, repetitive sounds to encourage new vocabulary.
• Staff are eager to improve their professional development. They are enthusiastic to gain new ideas, strategies and practices to support individuals and groups of children in their learning.
• Parents make positive comments about the good communication systems in place. They are well aware of their key person and receive plentiful information about their children's achievements and care. Parents appreciate the support staff give towards helping with toileting and eating strategies. Parents talk enthusiastically about the learning programmes staff have introduced to them, to support children's learning at home.
• Management is quick to realise staff's potential, delegating responsibilities well to support staff's professional development and roles. This helps staff to feel empowered and have a strong sense of pride in their abilities.
• Children learn about the outside world through positive experiences. Young children look through windows at the world around and also have everyday play outdoors. They explore natural materials such as water, mud and sand. Staff use these experiences to encourage social skills, dexterity and extend their language. Staff encourage children's particular strengths, to involve other children. They encourage them to demonstrate new skills, such as scoring goals and saving the ball with their hands. Children feel proud to share their skills with others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with opportunities to explore a range of media and materials to help further support children's imaginations in art and design
• extend staff's knowledge and practice to support children with SEND to have space for their play, and develop staff's strategies to fully support their needs and promote their ongoing development.