Squirrels Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a loving and caring environment for children, who look to staff for reassurance and cuddle up to them for comfort. Staff's expectations and boundaries at the nursery are clear and consistent. Children behave well and show care and respect for others. For example, when children bump into each other, they apologise and check that their friends are okay. They demonstrate a clear understanding of staff's expectations and share this with friends by reminding them to sit down during group time. Children take responsibility for their own behaviour and support peers to do the same.

Staff teach children how to keep their bodies safe and healthy. From a young age, they encourage children to make choices and develop their independence. As children get older, staff teach them how to look after themselves. For example, children learn about the weather and what they may need to wear outdoors. They recognise that it is cold and cloudy and discuss what clothing they may need before getting ready to go outdoors. Children independently find their outdoor clothing and put it on. This provides children with a sense of belonging and pride and gives them strong foundations for when they transition to school.

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

• Staff place focus on reading to develop children's communication and language skills. They encourage children to choose books that interest them and take time to sit with children and read stories. Babies explore the range of books on offer and sit independently. They turn the pages themselves and look at the pictures. Staff choose relevant books for each age group. Younger children are provided with interactive books to hold their attention and books are displayed over each room based on children's likes and interests. Older children enjoy listening to staff read in larger groups. They develop their understanding as staff introduce new words and give the meaning, as well as sharing ideas about what might happen next. Children develop a love of reading and enjoy sharing books at home from the library.
• When children begin at the nursery, staff provide many opportunities for parents to visit and spend time with their child's allocated key person. Staff focus on building partnerships with parents and work collaboratively to ensure that children feel safe and settle quickly. The key person supports children's transitions within the nursery very well and shares information with staff and parents. They support children's personal and emotional development throughout, by attending various visits with them, as well as helping to build new relationships.
• All children have access to a huge outdoor space that focuses on developing children's physical strength. Children explore the outdoor area throughout each day and have opportunities to climb, run, experiment and negotiate space around them. The area is carefully planned, with hills and obstacles to challenge children and develop core strength and balance. As children grow, staff introduce further opportunities to develop their physical development, such as play dough and mark-making experiences, to support their fine motor skills.
• Staff plan exciting, adult-led activities for children. For example, children enjoy 'tinkering' as they practise using a range of tools and tightening and loosening bolts and nuts. However, staff do not always maintain children's attention due to the timings of some activities. This means children become distracted and find it difficult to focus their attention. Furthermore, children wait for extended periods for their meals and become restless, limiting their social interaction experience.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make excellent progress. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with children and families to identify children's needs early and put in place a plan to support them. Staff are given extra training to enable them to support children in their care. This gives them a better understanding of children's needs and development. Referrals are made to other professionals to ensure that children receive the best care and support. Therefore, expectations are high, and children make good progress.
• The management team prioritises staff's well-being, providing support and guidance when needed. Staff report of excellent working relationships and benefit from an open-door policy. They say they feel valued and enjoy working at the nursery. The management team provides ongoing supervision for all staff, observing practice and offering advice for improvement when needed. This means that staff's practice continues to improve.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consider how to help children maintain their focus during group times so that they get the most out of the learning experiences on offer
• review the organisation of mealtimes and help staff to provide children with a sociable experience that raises the quality of their interactions with adults and each other.