The Day Nursery At Oakham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children appear happy and enjoy learning in the cosy, welcoming environment created by staff. They confidently seek reassurance from staff and demonstrate close relationships with them. This has a positive impact on children's emotional development. It helps ensure they feel safe and secure. Children are confident and eager to do things for themselves. They listen to staff's instructions and guidance. Children practise using cutlery and utensils as they independently serve their own dinner. They learn how to wash their hands and demonstrate an awareness of familiar daily routines.

Children enjoy sharing their keen imagination and make choices from a range of easily accessible resources. Pre-school children create a 'snowman' outside using different natural materials. They work together, persevering to lift and stack logs and wood slices to create a tower like shape. They talk with staff about what else the snowman needs. The children excitedly run and search for objects that could be parts of it's body, such as bushy branches for arms and leaves for eyebrows. The children exclaim 'he needs a scarf' and go to find one on their individual coat pegs.

Children behave well. They have good manners, using please and thank you when responding to staff. Children understand the boundaries and adhere to staff's expectations for behaviour. Staff praise two-year-olds for good listening as they get ready to go back inside from the garden. Children 'park' the ride-on cars back where they got them from, and place resources away carefully.

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

• Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of children's learning and development. They know the children well and are attentive to their individual care needs. Staff observe children throughout the day and accurately identify what they need to learn next. Staff focus on supporting any potential gaps in children's learning or experiences. They work alongside other professionals when children need additional support, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Staff use children's interests to plan engaging opportunities. Children show an interest in climbing. Staff support them in creating outdoor obstacle courses using large soft-play shapes and other outdoor equipment. They build on children's physical skills, and knowledge, as they teach them about how different parts of their bodies work. The children help their friends do forward rolls down a triangular wedge mat. They remind each other to tuck their head in. Staff encourage the children to bend their knees and jump safely, using two feet, between foam blocks. Children giggle and shout, 'it is really high'.
• Overall, staff use their interactions to develop children's communication and language. Staff share a variety of books and songs with children. They show younger children how to press the sound buttons on books and encourage them to copy sounds they hear, such as animal noises. Children join in with staff singing 'Old McDonald' and other familiar songs. However, some adult-led activities are too challenging for the youngest children. Staff do not always use simple instructions, or repeat key words, to help children maintain focus and support their understanding. Therefore, some younger children start to become distracted.
• Staff support children to try things for themselves and develop a can-do attitude. Children of all ages demonstrate determination, putting their own coats and shoes on ready to go outside. Staff encourage children to pour their own drinks. They explain to children how to share the cups out with their friends at lunchtime. However, at times, staff do not always support the children to communicate with each other, or to explain how they are feeling. This means some children struggle to share resources during general play activities.
• Staff have conversations with children about the world around them, and plan topics they may not have experienced. Staff and children read a non-fiction book about keeping the environment clean and safe. Children show excellent attention skills and comment they 'learned what respect means'.
• Leaders are passionate about maintaining a 'home-grown' and knowledgeable staff team. They provide a broad range of training for staff of all levels. Leaders monitor and evaluate the environment, adapting and improving it to meet the changing needs of children. They explain how more versatile resources help children to have their own ideas and focus during child-led play.
• Parents and carers comment that staff work alongside them. They are encouraged to share all aspects of their children's learning and care, including toilet training and healthy eating. They praise staff for how well they communicate and share what they are working on with children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• differentiate adult-led activities further to ensure the developmental needs of younger children are consistently supported
• provide children with further support in explaining and managing their feelings, so they can learn to resolve their own conflicts during play.