Teesdale Children's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a calm, caring and organised environment and form positive relationships with children. They are in-tune to their needs and interact with children sensitively. Babies benefit from focused attention from staff, with staff responding to their prompts and gestures. This caring approach is embedded across all age groups. This has a positive impact on children's well-being. Children are settled and show they are happy in the setting. They are confident to express their needs to staff, knowing they will be heard. Babies enjoy a range of sensory activities and are encouraged to play and explore. For example, staff model play in a gloop-tray activity. They respond sensitively to the cues of the child, talking about cause and effect and capturing the child's attention in back-and-forth interactions.

Staff are excellent role models. They set clear and consistent expectations on behaviour and communicate this in a caring and sensitive manner. As a result, children's behaviour is exemplary. They are respectful and kind to their peers and to staff. Throughout the setting, staff follow the children's interests closely. They provide interesting and fun activities, capturing children's imagination. Children play an active role in their learning and engage in activities provided to them.

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

• The curriculum is well thought out and sequenced effectively. The manager has a clear vision for the setting and encourages a culture of reflective practice. Staff know their children and understand what they need to do to progress their development.
• In the toddler room, staff enthusiastically respond to children, offering spontaneous activities like singing and reading. Staff interact with children at their level and leave gaps in the stories to allow children to complete familiar phrases. Children thoroughly enjoy and engage in these activities. They demonstrate good listening and attention skills.
• Toddlers benefit from focused sign language sessions. Staff extend this strategy in their day-to-day communication and simplify language to support children's communication. However, staff do not consistently implement clear strategies to encourage deeper-focused play or work to support children's learning and development.
• Pre-school children's learning opportunities are extended by the skilled team. Staff look for opportunities to enhance learning. They watch for cues from children and understand what strategies to use to support their development. They make activities fun and engaging for all children. For example, staff observe children using play dough and model play and extend language enthusiastically. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported through confident interactions from staff. As a result, all children are very happy and settled and are making progress in their speech and language.
• Staff provide engaging activities. Pre-school children confidently talk about their experiences at home during a tea-mixing activity. Staff introduce healthy eating concepts, discussing the effects of sugar. Staff follow children's lines of enquiry, responding quickly to the concepts expressed by the children. However, staff do not always provide meaningful opportunities for children to celebrate and learn about different cultures.
• There are a range of opportunities, indoors and outdoors, for children to practise their physical skills. Babies are encouraged to crawl and pull themselves up. Older children climb and ride bikes and scooters outside. The environment is safe, and children are encouraged to take managed risks, supported by staff.
• Staff talk positively about the nursery's management team. They say that they feel valued in the setting and can talk openly to the manager and deputy manager. They benefit from regular online training and feel supported in their personal and professional development. They benefit from regular supervision and appraisal, working hard to improve their practice. New staff members benefit from a mentoring system.
• The setting has strong links with parents. Staff work closely with parents to support children in their independence and self-care. Parents speak positively about the support they receive from staff and the care their children receive. They describe the manager and staff team as very approachable, indicating how they can freely discuss any concerns they may have. They explain that the setting works quickly and effectively in giving additional support where needed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• set high expectations of child engagement, and further staff's understanding of how to extend children's learning, particularly for children aged two to three years
• look for meaningful ways to extend children's understanding of other cultures beyond their own.