Silkwood Private Day Nursery and Creche

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children leave their parents with ease as they arrive at the nursery. Relationships between staff and children are positive, and children form strong bonds with their key person. Children settle and feel secure in this warm and friendly environment. They show that they enjoy their time at the nursery. For example, they smile, laugh and play with staff and other children throughout the day.

All children behave well. Staff act as good role models and have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children know how to share and take turns when playing. They are familiar with the routines and structure of the day. For example, at tidy-up time, children raise their arms in the air to show that they are listening. Staff often praise children for their good behaviour. This helps to boost children's confidence.

Children of all ages are eager to play and explore. They move around confidently between the indoor and outdoor areas. Children take part in activities of their choosing and follow their own interests. For example, younger children have fun investigating water, bubbles and sand. Older children draw pictures of their families on drawing pads and recall past events from their home life.

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

• Children develop a good awareness of healthy lifestyles. Food is nutritious, healthy and freshly prepared each day by the nursery cook. Staff plan activities that support children's understanding of the importance of brushing their teeth. For example, children develop their imagination as they clean models of teeth with toothbrushes.
• Children show positive attitudes towards their learning and make good progress. Staff plan activities around themes, considering the interests of children. For example, as part of their autumn theme, children explore leaves, acorns and conkers. They talk about what happens to the leaves and the colours that they can see. Activities have books linked to the theme for children to access. Children use books as a resource in their play to enrich the activity. This promotes literacy skills well.
• Partnership with parents is a key strength. Parents speak highly of the nursery. Communication with parents is excellent, and staff keep parents up to date with what their child is learning. For example, staff share photos on children's online learning record each day. Parents enjoy the daily conversations and say that they feel very supported by staff. This results in a sense of community and belonging for families and children.
• Overall, staff support children's language development well. They provide a language-rich environment where they talk to children, sing songs and read books. They ask children questions in play. For example, they ask children about what they are doing and talk to them about past experiences. However, on occasion, children are not given enough time to gather their thoughts and respond to questions and instructions.
• Staff support children to develop their knowledge of mathematical language well. For example, children talk about 'full' and 'empty' as they compare different-sized containers during water play. Children have regular opportunities to practise and build on their mathematical understanding in a range of fun ways.
• The manager and deputy are strong, positive role models and provide effective support and supervision for staff. They are enthusiastic about developing the quality of the nursery. However, although staff complete mandatory training, they have had fewer opportunities to access more targeted training.
• Children have positive attitudes towards learning and enjoy outdoor play. They delight in throwing balls into a basketball hoop and engage in sand and water activities. Staff listen to children's ideas and encourage them to use their imagination. For example, children show imagination as they make burgers and steaks in the play hut together.
• Children begin to develop good levels of independence. Staff arrange resources to ensure that children can make choices in their play and learning. Children enjoy the responsibility of undertaking tasks independently, such as putting their toys away at tidy-up time. This prepares them well for future learning, and they become confident in their own ability.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children's communication and language further by giving children more time to answer questions, to enable them to process what is being asked
• provide staff with further opportunities for targeted professional development, to support children's learning even further.