The Corner House Private Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This is a warm and friendly setting with a strong family feel. Staff are pleased to see children and greet them cheerfully when they arrive. Children separate easily from their parents and are eager to come into the setting. There is clear evidence that staff develop strong, nurturing relationships with the children. Staff give lots of cuddles and praise to children. This supports children's emotional security effectively. Children are happy and well settled because they feel secure.

Staff promote children's well-being effectively. They give clear and consistent messages around health and hygiene. For example, they remind children to wash their hands after wiping their noses. Staff promote discussions around healthy eating and drinking water to 'stay hydrated'. They support children to manage their self-care needs independently from a very early age. Consequently, children acquire important knowledge and skills that prepare them well for later life.

Staff praise and encourage children often. They reinforce the clear expectations for children's behaviour. For instance, they give children gentle reminders about sharing resources and taking turns. Children willingly comply with requests from staff. Children are polite, respectful and well behaved.

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

• Staff have high aspirations for all children and make accurate assessments of their learning. They use this information to plan exciting learning experiences that incorporate children's current interests. For example, two-year-old children enjoy making play dough spiders. Staff challenge them to count the number of legs and eyes they have added. This supports children's early understanding of number. Older children have previously grown sunflowers and strawberries. Staff have left the decaying plants in the garden so that children can observe the changes over time. This effectively promotes children's understanding of the world.
• Staff talk with children and support them in extending their speaking and listening skills through the use of songs and rhymes. They engage in dialogue with children continually. Staff narrate play and model language well. They introduce new words, such as 'allergic' and 'vegetarian'. This helps to broaden children's vocabulary. Staff adapt their approach and the resources to support those children who need more support to communicate. They use visuals and actions to reinforce language. This enables all children to acquire the language and skills they need to become confident communicators.
• The setting adopts a child-centred curriculum. Staff set up inviting learning activities designed to engage children's interests. However, they do not always identify clear enough intentions for learning. This means that teaching is not always sharply focused enough on what they want children to learn and be able to do. Furthermore, children have limited access to some resources. This means that children do not always have opportunities to maximise their learning, make free choices and lead their own play ideas.
• Staff take children on regular outings in the community. They enjoy visits to the zoo and the local library. Staff provide experiences and opportunities to teach children about world faiths and cultures through a range of celebrations and events throughout the year. They also encourage children to develop peer relationships through all-age play in the garden. This supports children's wider personal development effectively.
• Leaders and staff work to develop a strong partnership with parents. They work together to find out what children know and can do when they first start. Parents receive regular, detailed updates about children's learning and what they have done at the setting each day. Staff offer parents suggestions and support for how they can continue to support learning at home. Parents are complimentary of the setting.
• Leaders are passionate about delivering consistently high levels of care and education. They have identified the areas for development and have clear plans to ensure that their vision is realised. Leaders regularly engage with staff to support them in their roles. Leaders ensure that all staff have access to training to deepen their professional knowledge in order to improve outcomes for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further develop opportunities for children to make deliberate choices about their play that enable them to take a lead role in their learning
• consider the intent of adult-led activities so that teaching is well focused to have maximum impact on children's learning.