The Carlton Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to arrive at the nursery. They confidently access and explore different activities and resources offered. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported by staff to develop an understanding of the daily routines. For example, staff use gestures and show them photographs to help them during snack time and with toileting. This helps children to feel secure. Children understand the rules in the nursery. For example, they know to ask an adult to watch them before they climb on large climbing apparatus in the garden. Children wear helmets when they ride on balance bicycles, explaining that this helps to keep their heads safe.

Children show an interest and enjoyment in looking at books. In the baby room, staff show children images of animals on the pages and ask them to make the sounds that different animals make, supporting their early speaking skills. After staff read a book to children in the toddler room, they ask them to remember what happened in the story, encouraging them to recall from memory. Children in the pre-school room use books to find out information. For example, when they look at images of different insects, staff help them to identify what they are called, such as an ant.

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

• The manager and staff implement a curriculum to support children to progress in their development. This includes supporting children's communication and language skills. For example, staff use songs and rhymes during daily routines. When children in the baby room sit in pushchairs waiting to go on a walk, staff sing songs with them. Staff sing nursery rhymes with children in the toddler room when they change their nappies.
• Staff encourage children to show positive behaviour. For instance, in the baby room, children listen and follow instructions when staff ask them to carry a box of crayons to a table. Staff praise older children's abilities when they show strength in their bodies to climb on equipment. This helps to raise their self-esteem.
• Children in the pre-school and toddler rooms show that they thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in the nursery garden. They show strength and coordination in their legs when they use their feet to push themselves along on ride-on toys. However, even though staff in the baby room recognise that children like to play outdoors, they do not provide them with as many opportunities as others to develop their learning outdoors.
• The managers use additional funding effectively to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, children receive one-to-one time with staff who focus on supporting their individual learning needs. This includes providing small-group times to help children to develop their speaking and listening skills.
• Staff know the children well. They provide opportunities to help them learn skills for the future, such as when they move to the next room in the nursery. For example, staff encourage children in the baby room to drink from an open cup. They help children in the toddler room to use a knife and fork before they move in to the pre-school room. This helps to promote children's self-care skills.
• The managers support staff in their practice. This includes helping them to develop their knowledge of how to plan activities to encourage children's imagination when they play with loose parts and natural objects. For example, in the baby room, staff introduce empty boxes for children to explore; children use them as pretend cars.
• Children are supported emotionally to be ready for their move on to school. For example, staff talk to children about the schools they will move on to and other children they will attend with. The manager invites teachers to visit the children in the nursery. This helps children to become familiar with the adult who will be caring for them.
• Staff share information with parents about activities children enjoy. They invite parents to attend meetings to discuss their children's progress. However, staff do not fully support all parents to continue their children's learning at home. This will help to provide a more united approach to supporting children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to enhance the use of outdoor areas to offer children in the baby room further play and learning opportunities
• support staff to offer parents ideas and suggestions about how they can continue to encourage their children's learning at home.