The Ascot Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and confident in the nursery. They are warmly greeted by the staff, who have made strong attachments with them. Staff know and understand the children well. Good settling-in arrangements are in place to support the children and their families. This helps staff to gather information about the children's interests and routines before they start with them, so they can support and maintain these to help children feel safe and confident. Staff communicate purposefully with children. They support their developing understanding of behaviour as they frequently praise and encourage them, supporting children's self-esteem.

Children have many opportunities to enhance their learning through a well-planned and, overall, well-delivered curriculum. Staff give children the confidence to investigate and explore well. For example, younger children show curiosity as they examine a variety of different textured materials, such as fabrics and crafts. Activities such as these help to advance their small physical skills. Older children's imagination and large physical skills are enhanced as they enjoy a nature trail to find the 'Gruffalo'. This, along with good support in helping children to take safe risks as they master the skills to climb up the steps to the slide, supports children's active learning and exploration as they discover and learn about the world they live in.

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

• The leadership team works well together and has a clear vision for the nursery. The team continuously reflects on what it is offering and ensures that staff are given ample opportunities to develop their practice further through attending training. Staff receive regular supervisions, and they comment that they are well supported and valued.
• Overall, staff interact positively with children to support their learning. Staff maintain a consistent dialog with the children about what they are doing. Combined with singing songs and reading books, this helps the children to hear repetition and descriptive language. Children benefit from a good variety of books available to them, which are accessible independently throughout the nursery.
• Staff plan a range of fun activities for the children, and they weave children's interests successfully into activities. However, at times, some staff do not implement teaching as effectively as possible. This does not fully build on children's individual knowledge and skills to help them extend their learning and progress even further.
• Staff are engaging and calm in their interactions with children. They form close relationships with them and know how to support those who require more reassurance. This ensures that children's individual needs are recognised and met.
• Staff promote children's early mathematical skills effectively. They introduce simple numbers as younger children stack and build towers with magnetic blocks. Older children are supported in learning about colours, shapes and sizes as they draw and explore with creative media and materials.
• Staff use consistent and effective strategies to promote positive behaviour. For example, they take every opportunity to praise children for their efforts and achievements. Children play well together. Younger children squeal with excitement as their friends play with them, and older children show good cooperation as they play together with balls on ramps.
• Children enjoy the nutritious snacks and meals offered to them. Overall, mealtimes are generally supportive of the children's needs and staff support their self-help skills well, such as by encouraging them to feed themselves. However, at times, staff deployment is not always fully effective at supporting good health. Nevertheless, children eat together at the table, and they play and explore in a safe environment.
• Parents speak very positively about the staff and quality of care offered to their children. They comment that they receive good communication about their children's learning and progress. They state that they are well informed about their child's next steps and work with staff on the priorities of these, which helps them to support learning at home. This supports a consistent approach to children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's teaching to enable them to make the most of opportunities that arise to extend children's learning and support their development and progress even further
• review and improve the deployment and supervision at mealtimes, to ensure that procedures in place are consistently followed.