Spittal Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children skip through the door on arrival, happy to see familiar staff and keen to join their friends at play. They invite the inspector to join their games, showing a strong sense of belonging and security in nursery. Staff are vigilant and supervise children well. Children follow staff's consistent guidance and boundaries. They behave well and show kindness and consideration for others. For example, toddlers pass toys to babies, waiting for them to smile in response.

Staff take account of children's prior experiences when planning for their learning. For example, they provide visits to the park and beach for children who may have fewer opportunities to experience this outside of nursery. The new curriculum has created a stronger focus on helping each child to achieve what they need to learn next. This supports the good progress that all children make. Babies develop their strength, balance and coordination when they roll, throw and kick balls. Toddlers show increasing independence when they clear their own plates after snack. Pre-school children learn to take turns during games in the garden.

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

• Children benefit from appealing activities that help them to build on what they already know and can do. Babies develop coordination and dexterity while they trace their fingers through sand and make early attempts at mark making with water. Older children build on their mathematical understanding. They count the number of eyes on the characters they have designed, and talk about patterns while making fruit kebabs.
• Staff provide a broad programme of activities that, generally, help children to make good progress. However, plans for children's learning in the pre-school room are, at times, less precise. Occasionally, when pre-school children are joined by older children, activities are play based and centred around children's interests. At these times, staff do not always focus precisely enough on what they want children to learn, to help them to make the best possible progress.
• Children enjoy lots of songs and stories that, overall, help them to hear and learn new words. However, at times, staff speak very fast, or use language that is too difficult for young children to understand. They do not always give children plenty of time to listen, think and respond to prompts and questions during activities.
• Routines, particularly for the youngest children, are personalised to meet children's individual needs. This helps children to feel safe and secure in nursery. Interactions from key staff are warm and supportive. Children who are slightly unsettled on arrival respond quickly to reassurance from staff and join in activities. For example, they begin to giggle as they jump and stretch to pop bubbles.
• Staff help children to understand and manage their emotions, for example, by sharing and discussing stories with them. Children learn to articulate how they feel and work through their frustrations. They show kindness to one another. For example, toddlers pass toys to babies, and show delight when it makes them smile.
• Parents are very pleased with the care that staff provide and the progress that their children make in their learning. They particularly appreciate the supportive relationships that they and their children have with familiar and consistent staff. Parents receive plenty of feedback. Staff share key information about children's learning and achievements, which helps parents to support children's learning further at home.
• The manager has made significant improvements since the last inspection. Following staff training, there have been significant improvements to the indoor learning environments. This has led to an increase in children's engagement in activities, and has helped staff to encourage children's positive behaviour more consistently across the nursery. The manager has begun to review and improve the learning experiences that children have in the garden, although these are not embedded. Some children are, at times, less engaged in learning when outdoors.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to maintain their focus on what pre-school children need to learn when planning and implementing activities
• help children to make even better progress in their language skills, for example, by modelling new words clearly to children and giving them plenty of time and opportunities to use language in their play
• continue with the improvements to the outdoor provision to encourage children's motivation and engagement even more consistently.