The Duckling Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provider has a clear vision of what she wants children to learn and achieve and has high expectations for all children. There is a well thought out key-person system in place. This ensures that staff know the children and families well and can plan appropriate next steps for children. Staff provide a varied curriculum that follows children's interests and developmental needs. Staff engage with children during their play and adapt their approach to meet the needs of all children. Children can make choices about where they play and what they engage in throughout the day.

Staff are effective in engaging with other professionals when required. They communicate with other settings and professionals involved with families to ensure continuity of care and learning. Funding is well used to provide additional opportunities for children to make progress. This ensures that all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children in receipt of additional funding, make good progress from their starting points.

Staff treat the children with kindness and respect and are good role models. They encourage and praise children throughout the day. As a result, children are kind, considerate and polite to one another. For instance, they move to make room, so their friends can join them for story time.

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

• There have been clear improvements since the last inspection. The provider has worked hard to implement the changes required. For example, all staff are now aware of the procedure to follow when there are child protection concerns. In addition, large-group times have been reviewed to enhance the children's learning opportunities. The whole team is motivated and continues to reflect on the service it provides to ensure the best possible outcomes for children.
• Children are becoming confident communicators. They enjoy stories and songs and enthusiastically join in with action rhymes. Staff read stories with enthusiasm, and children confidently fill in the gaps that staff purposefully leave. Older children competently retell stories to visitors. Staff use stories to introduce concepts, such as stranger danger, to children.
• Children demonstrate high levels of concentration in their chosen activities and are engaged at all times. Staff interact with children during their play. They teach them new skills, such as how to use scissors. They provide information and use explanations to develop children's understanding of basic concepts, such as hard and soft. However, staff do not always identify times in their interactions when they could extend children's learning further. This means that children are not consistently provided with high levels of challenge.
• Children have constant access to the outdoor space where there are plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Children are extremely competent in using the balance bikes and can manoeuvre around obstacles with ease. They practise balancing on the climbing frame with staff, suggesting they use their arms to help them balance. Staff have identified that children need more space to develop these skills further. As a result, they have started to use the school playground, so children can continue making progress in their physical development.
• Staff support children in developing their independence with self-care skills. They encourage the children to find and put on their coats when going outside and to return them to their hooks when coming back indoors. The children also learn to put on and take off their shoes. All children help tidy up before mealtimes. Children independently wash their hands before mealtimes. However, children are not encouraged to wash their hands after blowing their noses, and staff do not model this behaviour when assisting the children. This does not promote positive attitudes towards hygiene practices.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They report that their children have made good progress in their development since starting and are happy to attend. Staff offer effective support and guidance to parents. For example, they support families with potty training. Parents feel that any issues they raise are dealt with quickly and efficiently. Parents are invited into the setting to take part in themed days.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the quality of staff's interactions with children to help them consistently challenge and extend children's learning as they play and during planned activities
• encourage staff to implement appropriate hygiene procedures in relation to handwashing after nose wiping.