Sidcup Day Nursery And Forest School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy to attend nursery. Staff provide a warm and friendly welcome, which helps children to feel safe and secure. Staff get to know children and their families well from the start. Leaders promote a strong family ethos and ensure that staff are attentive to children's changing needs. Staff provide children with cuddles and offer reassurance in a calm manner. Children are well cared for and feel valued. Leaders have high expectations for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff support all children well and children make good progress. Staff plan a broad and exciting curriculum, which builds on children's existing knowledge. Activities and staff's interactions help children to practise their skills and extend their learning. For example, pre-school children show high levels of engagement as they explore the forest-school environment. They use magnifying glasses and tell staff about what they find. Children say 'the slug is massive', and 'there are hundreds of them' as they discover an ants' nest. Staff use opportunities to increase children's vocabulary effectively. They model the behaviour they expect well. Staff provide gentle reminders to ensure children's safety and reinforce the rules in the nursery. Children share resources and are kind to their peers.

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

• Leaders have a clear overview of the nursery and are passionate about providing high-quality care and learning. They ensure that there is a robust induction process in place and that all staff know their roles and responsibilities. All staff have regular supervision sessions. They extend their knowledge through continued professional development to support them in raising the level of their teaching further.
• An effective key-person system is in place. Staff support babies to settle in over several sessions and build strong attachments. All staff use observations and assessments to ensure that any gaps in children's learning are addressed swiftly. They build on children's interests and identify their next steps in learning. Children's transitions between rooms are a seamless process, which enhances children's resilience and emotional well-being. Leaders work in partnership with local schools to support children to make this move effectively.
• Staff place a high priority on children's language development. Staff babble and make sounds with babies to encourage back-and-forth interactions. Toddlers learn new words as they play and enjoy singing and looking at books. Older children engage in conversations with staff and their peers. Staff encourage them to extend their sentences and become confident communicators as they prepare for starting school.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the nursery staff and the care their children receive. Communication is good and parents receive regular updates on their children's progress. Staff share information about what children need to learn next and ideas to continue their learning at home. Parents say that their children have made good progress, especially with their communication and independence, since starting nursery.
• Children benefit from a wide range of activities. They make choices in their play and enjoy the outside area. Staff support children of all ages to develop their physical skills. For example, they crawl through tunnels, steer cars, and balance on beams. Children enjoy healthy meals and follow good hygiene practices. However, staff do not organise routines in toddler room as consistently to help children to continue their learning while they wait for changes in the activities, such as at snack time.
• Staff engage with children well as they play. They skilfully weave in counting, introduce mathematical concepts, and extend children's understanding. Older children and babies enjoy sharing stories and develop their fine motor skills, for example, through using tools and making marks. However, staff plan some group activities, such as story time in the toddler and younger pre-school room, which do not consistently support all children to develop good listening or concentration.
• Leaders and staff reflect on their practice and evaluate it so they can make improvements. Leaders support staff's mental well-being and help them to manage their workloads effectively. They have embedded a culture of diversity and inclusion, which is reflected through the staff team. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) liaises with a range of other professionals. She supports staff to help individual children to achieve their targets and prepare them for the next stage of their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of daily routines to support children to continue their learning
• strengthen group activities, especially story time, to ensure that all children can fully participate and maintain their interest.