Tern Valley Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children often seek out the staff for cuddles and love. Staff are very nurturing and attentive towards all children. This helps children to form lasting bonds with the staff who care for them. Staff know their key children extremely well. Babies start to pull themselves up, crawl and take steps. Staff use praise in recognition of the children's efforts. Toddlers watch in awe as they explore the cause and effect of mixing different materials together. Staff are incredibly positive role models to the children. They talk to them about other's emotions and feelings and there are clear boundaries in place. This helps children to learn right from wrong. Staff are highly respectful and sensitive to children's individual backgrounds and personal situations. They work closely with parents and carers to ensure children are fully supported as they move through life and experience change. This helps all children to feel valued.

Children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff plan a broad range of activities for children to enjoy, based on their individual interests. As a result, children are eager to take part. Children are confident learners. They eagerly share what they are doing with staff and visitors and invite them to join them in their play. Children's independence is given high priority. Older children successfully serve themselves to meals and pour their own drinks. All children access 'snuffle' and water stations, to help them to gain independence in their self-care.

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

• The setting benefits from an experienced, strong, and knowledgeable management team. They are highly ambitious and strive to provide the very best start for children. Their passion is obvious, and this is reflected throughout the setting as staff share their ethos to provide a welcoming, family-orientated environment in which children thrive.
• The manager has a strong overview of the curriculum, and this is embedded in practice. She monitors staff practice and encourages them to share ideas with each other. Staff comment positively about how leaders support their well-being. Leaders have regular review meetings with staff to discuss their practice and ways that this can be improved. Leaders provide staff with coaching and support to help them fully understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff are given access to training to help develop further their knowledge and skills.
• Recruitment procedures check that staff are suitable to work with children, induction procedures are robust. This helps staff to understand the steps they should take to keep children safe, both in the setting and at home.
• Staff generally engage well with children and get down to children's level as they join in their play. However, at times staff do not adapt their teaching practice.
• For example, they ask questions to babies who are still babbling, or talk in full sentences to younger children who are using single words. This does not fully promote children's communication and language development.
• Children can choose what they want to play with. They especially enjoy playing with the play dough. They mould and stretch the dough, manipulating it with their hands. Children thoroughly enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. They learn about the days of the week, the months of the year and the weather. However, sometimes the activities are too long and are very repetitive. As a result, children do not consistently gain the best from them to enhance their learning even more.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is extremely passionate and knowledgeable. She works well alongside children, parents, and other professionals to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the specialist help they require. The SENCo supports staff to plan activities and set and review targets for children. This process is successful at ensuring that children with SEND continue to flourish in their development.
• Children's physical development is given high priority. Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend outdoors. They access a variety of equipment to enhance their physical skills. For example, they roll hoops and manoeuvre a see-saw. Older children transform themselves into animals as they take part in a yoga session. They persevere as they balance on one leg and pretend to fly. Children are proud of their achievements.
• Parents and carers speak extremely highly about how staff support their children. They state that they can see the progress their child has made in their development. Staff provide parents with daily feedback about their child's day. They also provide parents with a wealth of activities and information about how they can support their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to adapt their teaching practice, particularly when they communicate with babies and younger children, to help promote children's language development
• review the content and length of activities, to ensure that all children gain the very best from them to enhance their learning further.