Teddy Bears Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this outstanding nursery. On arrival, the welcoming staff team greets children enthusiastically. Children are eager to see what exciting learning experiences await them. They freely explore the stimulating environment, choosing from a range of high-quality activities. Staff ensure that every activity is purposefully planned to develop children's skills and knowledge while appealing to their interests and promoting curiosity and exploration. For example, younger children carefully place long strands of spaghetti into play dough. They develop their fine motor and problem-solving skills as they handle the spaghetti with great care to ensure it does not break.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Children proudly tell visitors that there are 'four rules in the four walls.' Children consistently demonstrate extremely high levels of engagement and focus across the whole nursery. For example, they watch with fascination as staff demonstrate a science experiment with a model volcano that simulates an eruption. Children develop a varied and broad vocabulary because staff introduce them to new words, such as 'magma' and 'ash'. Children confidently ask thought-provoking questions as they look at pictures of volcanoes. This helps them to deepen their knowledge of the subject being taught.

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

• A highly ambitious curriculum is provided across all areas of learning. Children consistently develop new skills that contribute to them being ready for the next stage of their education. They have a wealth of opportunities to develop their understanding of mathematics. For example, children use natural objects, such as stones and gems, to create patterns. Staff expertly extend children's thinking by asking them thought-provoking mathematical questions.
• Staff nurture a love of reading. Children are passionate and excited when staff read to them. They listen intently for extended periods of time to their favourite stories. Children particularly delight in listening to 'The Colour Monster'. They recall their secure knowledge of the story, linking different colours to emotions. Staff promote children's love of reading at home by encouraging children to bring in books to share with their friends.
• Leaders swiftly identify any children who require additional support and embed strategies to help children catch up. Where necessary, leaders act quickly to seek support from other professionals, such as speech and language therapists. This ensures that all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Staff have very high expectations of children's behaviour. They reinforce excellent manners and act as superb role models for children. As a result, children show high levels of respect for each other and support their friends to achieve. Children ask their friends to help them when they find a task challenging. They put their arms around each other and approach the challenge together.
• Staff provide children with a rich set of experiences that help them to develop a secure understanding of their local community and the wider world. For example, they creatively teach children about festivals, such as Holi. Staff celebrate each child's and family's individuality, actively promoting a culture of inclusivity and diversity.
• Parents speak extremely positively about the care and education their children receive. They value not only the support for their children but also the support that they receive as parents. Parents praise the hardworking, dedicated staff team. They comment on how they are astounded by the knowledge their children are gaining while at nursery.
• Leaders are inspirational and fully dedicated to supporting their staff team to deliver exceptionally high-quality learning experiences and care. They provide staff with regular and focused supervision. Leaders target staff's professional development, helping them to build their skills and knowledge to the highest level. For example, recent training on supporting children's communication and language has had a significant impact on the quality of interactions.
• Children become extremely independent and responsible. For example, each child is allocated a job for the day to assist the staff. They enjoy taking ownership of the room and tidying away resources without prompt. Children demonstrate maturity when using technology. For instance, children act responsibly when they move their picture to the other side of the board to indicate they have finished their turn. This helps children to learn to make healthy choices about screen time.