Smisby Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are supported with their well-being effectively. For example, when babies are upset, they receive cuddles and comfort from staff to help them settle. When children move rooms in the nursery, staff show them photos of staff and toys in the next room before they move on. This helps them to become familiar with the environment and the adults who will care for them. Children are supported to have a sense of belonging in the nursery. For instance, staff display photos of children and their families. Older children are keen to look at these and talk to staff and their peers about children and family members they know, recalling from memory. This contributes to children's communication skills.

Children listen and follow staff's instructions well. For example, younger children put leftover food into a bin and wipe their hands and faces after snack time. When staff shake a tambourine, older children stop what they are doing, put their hands in the air and wait for staff's instructions. Children are supported to tidy away toys to help them learn how to care for the environment. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by staff. Additional funding that some children receive is used effectively to provide one-to-one support from staff to implement targeted plans to meet their individual needs. This includes providing children with pictures of different feelings and visual timetables to support their understanding of routines and managing their emotions.

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

• Staff say that they feel supported with their well-being. They receive small gifts from the management team that help them to feel valued and appreciated. Staff give gifts to other staff when they show positive practice with the children. This helps to provide an environment of care and respect.
• Staff are supported to build on their professional development. For example, they attend training courses to develop their knowledge of sign language. Staff use sign language to help support children's understanding of the words they use. Children respond positively to the sign language. For instance, younger children use sign language to say 'please' at snack time.
• The curriculum that staff implement focuses on supporting children's communication and language skills. For instance, staff sing songs with babies and repeat words back to them, helping to build on their early speaking skills. Older children are supported by staff to identify initial sounds in words and to share with staff their knowledge of familiar phrases in favourite stories.
• Children show that they know the routines in the day. This includes older children sitting on a carpet in preparation for group times. However, sometimes, staff's organisation of group times does not help older children to fully benefit from the learning offered. For example, when staff read stories and sing songs with children, other staff take some children's attention away to complete other tasks, such as to wash their hands or change their clothes.
• Children have opportunities to be physically active. For instance, staff hold out their hands to support very young children to begin to walk. Younger children receive help from staff to go down slides feet first.
• Staff use positive reinforcement to praise children's achievements. This helps children to understand what they do well and to raise their self-esteem. Staff implement rules and boundaries, helping children to understand what is expected of them. This includes asking children to walk indoors when they begin to run.
• Children understand the need to wash their hands before eating. They take responsibility for preparing their own snacks. For example, younger children use knives safety to cut up bananas. Some children do this competently on their own, while others receive support from staff. This contributes to developing children's independence. However, during personal self-care routines, staff do not always provide privacy for children when older children change their clothing or when younger children begin toileting.
• Staff provide experiences for children to learn about oral health. For instance, older children clean their teeth in the nursery. Younger children learn how to brush teeth, for example, when they use toothbrushes to clean teeth on animal soft toys. Parents say they appreciate the support staff give their children to help them understand the importance of cleaning their teeth.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the organisation of group times to help older children fully benefit from the learning offered
• support staff to provide children with privacy when changing clothing and during toileting.