Supertots Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children at the nursery are happy and confident. Babies giggle and make good attempts at copying quacking sounds, as staff bring to life nursery rhymes with props such as toy ducks. Children celebrate together when they succeed in learning new dance moves demonstrated by staff. Older children show their creativity, for example by saying, 'We are making strawberry pasta' as they pretend to make food using dough.

Children show that they feel safe when they come to staff for a cuddle or talk to them about how they are feeling. They have daily opportunities to play outside, run around and get out of breath. This supports children's physical development. Being able look after small animals is a feature of the nursery. Children learn to feed the nursery pets and to provide them with the necessary care and nurture. They enjoy the challenges set for them by staff to extend their learning. Older children, for example, are keen to master their pencil grip and form legible letters when trying to spell their own name.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff are providing children with even greater support in developing their confidence and social skills.

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

• Since the previous inspection, leaders have trained and supported staff to understand how to extend children's language and communication skills. Staff now sing and read to children throughout the day. They talk to children and ask them relevant questions to check their understanding. Children are given lots of time to think and respond. This helps them to become strong communicators who are able to express their thoughts and ideas.
• In the main, staff support children's emerging independence well. Children select the toys they play with, and staff provide additional learning opportunities based around their interests. In preparation for school, children practise getting dressed for physical education lessons. They make good attempts at serving their own food at lunchtimes. However, there are some limited instances where independence is not supported as well. For example, older children cannot always go to the toilet when they feel that they need to. At times, they need to ask staff to be able to access the toilet area. This limits their ability to learn how to respond quickly to their physical needs.
• The staff talk positively about the help they receive from leaders to improve their practice. New staff explain how well supported they are in studying for qualifications. Longer serving staff share that they are empowered to take the lead in pursuing their own ongoing professional development. Leaders hold regular meetings with staff, which also helps to support staff well-being. This impacts positively on children as the happy and skilled staff work as one to best meet children's needs.
• Parents praise the staff team highly. They talk about how well staff know children and that 'nothing is too much for them'. Parents explain how they receive lots of useful information about children's progress. They share that the nursery leaders regularly seek their views on improvements that can be made. Parents also explain how staff continually find out about children's changing interests in order to tailor learning activities and shape the curriculum. As a result, partnerships with parents are a strength.
• Staff ensure that they gather lots of meaningful information from parents before children start. They use this information to help children settle into the nursery quickly. This is particularly vital for the support the nursery gives to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The staff work closely with other agencies to ensure that children with SEND receive the best possible support. This collaborative approach means that all children make good progress from their starting points.
• Leaders have ensured that the nursery environment has been designed to encourage children to explore and be active learners. Older children particularly show great curiosity in their learning. They use their well-developed vocabulary to ask staff questions about things they are learning about. Children show the ability to concentrate on activities for extended periods of time. This demonstrates their developing maturity and willingness to learn.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance existing opportunities for children to develop their independence skills.