Smiley Dayz Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children learn in a calm and orderly environment at this nursery. Staff consistently promote important social skills, such as sharing, taking turns and looking after resources. This means that children respectfully take care of the equipment they use and the working environment is purposeful. Children behave well, concentrate and listen carefully to instructions from staff. Leaders and staff ensure that routines and expectations are embedded and consistently applied. Children feel safe in the nursery and staff sensitively manage their every need. Staff get to know the children very well and parents say they feel staff are like family. Levels of trust between parents and staff are strong.

Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Leaders have designed a comprehensive curriculum that meets the needs of all children. Staff read stories to children with enthusiasm and gusto. They use expression in their voice to emphasise meaning. Children respond to this by listening attentively, making predictions about the story and showing an interest in books independently. Children often take books to staff to read to them. Staff encourage reading at home too, by providing books that children can borrow and read together with parents. The combination of these factors really helps children to develop a love of books and begin to have favourite stories.

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

• Staff frequently develop children's mathematical language and problem-solving skills. Older children demonstrate competence in working with numbers to 10 and beyond. For example, they work out how many points they have collated in simple games. Children use a range of techniques to help them work out answers. They hold numbers in their head and count on, use their fingers or simple counters. Children tackle mathematical problems with resilience, trying again if they do not succeed the first time.
• Children put on their coats and shoes independently. They use knives and forks skilfully and serve themselves at lunchtime. Children hold pencils correctly and begin to form recognisable letters. Staff take time to teach children how to use tools and children have lots of opportunities throughout the day to practise their physical skills. Children approach all new activities with enthusiasm and curiosity.
• Nursery routines and delivery of the planned activities sometimes prevent the development of play. This means that children do not build storylines and narratives into their imaginative play. This limits their creative thinking and their ability to negotiate, plan and develop roles and characters with other children.
• Staff working with younger children take time to emphasise key words and introduce new words often. This helps children to understand the meaning of words. When children get confused, staff skilfully develop their understanding.
• For example, staff explain the difference between a car and truck using visual objects so that children understand the context. Staff do not consistently focus on key vocabulary that older children need to extend their language skills. For example, during an activity designed to extend an interest in minibeasts, staff do not use vocabulary specific to that scientific topic. This means that older children do not always learn new or more complex words, and this limits their vocabulary and understanding.
• Staff are well supported by leaders and they feel their workload is manageable. Leaders have made improvements to technology recently to help staff with working processes. Leaders work with external providers to continue to develop the skills of the staff team. They are reflective and ensure that all improvements they make benefit children.
• Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They recognise and address any concerns to ensure that children receive the right support. They work closely with parents and seek support from external services. For example, staff have been trained in supporting children's speech if they are falling behind.
• Leaders use additional funding to provide education for children during holiday periods. This helps children to embed the essential skills they need. They also purchase sensory resources to support children's learning. Leaders ensure that the curriculum helps children to learn about a variety of cultures and festivals. This supports children to understand diversity.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the nursery. They comment on how well staff ensure that children's well-being takes priority. They are pleased with the level of communication they receive from staff and can see the impact that teaching has on their children's progress. They receive regular information about what they can do at home to support their child's learning and know what their child needs to do next to improve.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• train staff to precisely identify, use and emphasise new and increasingly complex vocabulary to expand older children's speaking and language skills
• refine the delivery of the curriculum so that children have adequate time and space to develop storylines, narratives and characters into their imaginative play.