The Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are safe and happy at this nursery. They receive a warm welcome from the professional and friendly staff. Children and babies develop close attachments to their key person and other staff in their rooms. As a result, they feel safe and secure. Staff know the children well and are nurturing and caring to them. Children learn through an effective balance of child-initiated play and adult-led activities. They show curiosity and use their imagination as they explore the play dough. Children enthusiastically share what they have made as they roll and squeeze the dough to make their creations.

Children's behaviour is good. They are supported as they learn to take turns from a young age and to understand that sharing toys with their friends is kind. Staff help children as they learn to regulate their own behaviour. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement from staff, who are positive role models for them. They are developing good levels of independence. Children put on their own coats and shoes before going outside. They learn about the things that contribute to a healthy lifestyle, such as exercise, eating a balanced diet and looking after their teeth.

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

• The management team and staff have worked hard to improve practice since the last inspection. They have committed to ensuring that requirements are met and have worked in partnership with the local authority to make positive changes.
• Children make good progress from their starting points. Staff implement a curriculum that follows their interests. Staff gather information from parents through daily discussions and use this to plan activities to meet the needs of all children. They complete observations and assessments of children, which are shared through their online system. Parents feel they have up-to-date knowledge about their child's learning.
• Children have a wide range of resources available to them. Staff support all children to investigate and explore the different resources as they play. However, staff working with babies do not always recognise when some resources need replenishing, and some equipment needs cleaning. This is to ensure that these resources are consistently inviting to support children's learning experiences.
• Overall, staff interact well with the children and spend a good amount of time joining in with their play and guiding their learning. However, on occasion, some staff miss opportunities to fully engage and extend all children's learning, particularly during mealtimes.
• Staff encourage children to count objects and compare the height of different flowers and plants. For example, they model mathematical language, such as 'taller' and 'smaller', when comparing height. Children enjoy counting in everyday activities. Older children practise subtraction through the use of nursery rhymes.
• Children enjoy opportunities and activities that support development in all areas of learning and progression of skills over time. For example, babies hold chunky chalks and make marks outside on the ground, toddlers use their fingers to make marks in flour and pre-school children confidently hold pens as they draw pictures.
• Staff support children's physical health and development well. Children happily climb and run outside in the fresh air and join in with music and movement sessions and yoga classes indoors. Staff help babies to increase coordination, teaching them to kick balls around with increasing skill.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) provides targeted support for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. He plans and reviews children's personal goals to ensure that they are receiving the right help. The SENCO provides staff with the necessary information they need to help children make good progress. Staff at the nursery work very well with other professionals, sharing information about children's needs.
• Staff receive support to understand their roles and responsibilities. Regular supervisions provide staff with an opportunity to discuss their key children's development and identify any specific training needs. This helps them to further extend their professional development. Staff comment that the support provided for their well-being is good.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to reflect on the organisation of the environment within the baby room to help them implement the curriculum and the intentions for children's learning at the highest level
• ensure staff maintain the good implementation of the curriculum throughout the day, especially during mealtimes.