The De Lacey Day Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide children with a welcome that is full of enthusiasm and warmth. Children settle quickly and demonstrate a high level of engagement. They run towards a range of stimulating activities that staff provide for them. Staff are attentive and approachable. They gather information from parents and carers about children who are new and settling in. This information helps staff to positively support children who are attending for the first time. For example, staff take time to discuss children's interests and daily routines. This provides them with the necessary information to support children who become unsettled, so they recover swiftly. As a result, children feel safe, secure and have their individual needs met.

Staff provide children with an ambitious curriculum. They provide children with positive learning experiences. Staff encourage children to regularly attempt new skills. For example, staff support children's physical development, such as encouraging them to cut up fruit and make flavoured water. Children demonstrate a sense of achievement and share their successes. They beam and show pride in accomplishing tasks on their own. Children show confidence as they readily engage with imaginative play opportunities. They pretend to make food in their home-corner kitchen. Staff skilfully extend this type of play for younger children. They introduce new vocabulary and repeat simple concepts, such as 'heavy' and 'full'. Children who speak English as an additional language use this new language in their play. This helps them to make connections in their learning.

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

• Staff model kindness and gentleness and have high expectations for children's behaviour. They have boundaries in place to support routines. Children learn to use 'kind hands' and 'walking feet' indoors. They share toys, are polite, and staff remind them to use their manners.
• A key strength of the nursery is the targeted support given to children who are at risk of falling behind in their education. Leaders work hard to foster a strong inclusive attitude to all children. They ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive timely support from external agencies. Leaders use additional funding to meet children's needs effectively. Consequently, all children make good progress from their starting points in development.
• Staff ensure that children enjoy healthy and nutritious meals at the nursery. They maintain good hygiene practices and address children's personal care needs sensitively to keep them comfortable. Staff teach children the importance of healthy eating and oral care. This helps children to identify healthy and unhealthy foods.
• Children have ample space and fresh air. Staff support their physical skills well. They help children to develop their understanding of the community, such as through trips to local shops and a postbox, litter picking and recycling activities. Outdoors, children run confidently in all weathers and enjoy experiences they might not otherwise have. Children show awe as they dig up potatoes and carrots, proudly sharing their discoveries.
• Staff recognise the importance of exposing children to books. Children are attentive during stories and demonstrate a high level of engagement. They excitedly participate in well-known phrases and contribute ideas about what may happen next. Staff provide children with rich opportunities to develop their language and give a narrative as children play. This gives children a range of experiences that promote their early literacy skills.
• Parents are happy with the quality of care and education their children receive. They praise the good communication between staff and families. They say their children enjoy attending. Parents value the daily conversations and photos shared through an online app. They appreciate the advice staff provide on topics such as toilet training to support their children's learning at home.
• Staff encourage children to make choices about activities, toys and books. Children show confidence in routines, such as lining up and washing their hands before meals. Older children also self-serve food, pour drinks and clear their plates. However, staff do not consistently apply their expectations. For example, some staff complete simple tasks for children, such as putting on aprons or serving food, which limits opportunities for children to practise these skills consistently to be ready for school. While the provider supports staff's development through supervision sessions and training, they have not strengthened and embedded these strategies so that teaching practice is consistently high across the team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance and strengthen support and coaching for staff so that they consistently promote children's independence and deliver the curriculum more effectively.