The Gardens Day Care and Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have high expectations of all children. Children explore a wide range of activities at this nursery. They select their own resources to use in their play. In the pre-school room, children happily board the train. They make tickets, create snacks for passengers and fix the train with toy tools. Children use their imagination to join in with their friends. Children play excitedly and are motivated to learn.

Children enjoy a variety of rich experiences each day. In the farmyard room, babies have a birthday party with their friends and celebrate together. Toddlers go on a trip to the local park and spend extended time outside. Pre-school children return from the local food bank, having delivered donations for the nursery. Children are learning about their local community. This helps them to understand about their community and other people.

Children have positive attitudes to learning. They chat happily with their friends as they play. Children are learning to cooperate. They take turns and share with one another. When they read stories, they take turns to vote for their favourite. They are learning to express their likes and dislikes. They listen to each other and respect each other's views. Children behave well.

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

• Managers create a curriculum with a clear learning intent. This is shared effectively throughout the nursery. All staff understand and plan what they want children to learn. They use this information to create opportunities for children to develop a wide range of knowledge and skills. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Overall, staff understand that interacting with children is important for their language development. Across the nursery, children hold thoughtful conversations with staff and their friends. However, in some rooms, the quality of these interactions is higher than others. Not all children consistently have access to the most ambitious language.
• Managers and staff work together to identify children who need additional support with their learning. They communicate effectively with parents to identify any learning barriers. Staff make links with external agencies to provide targeted support for children. This helps children to reach their developmental milestones.
• Children's understanding of the world around them is well supported. Staff plan opportunities for children to visit a variety of local attractions. For example, children go to the local market and explore different fruits from other countries. They taste and smell the differences between them. Children make selections and use their own money to pay. Children are learning how things work. They are confident, show high levels of self-esteem and are very well behaved.
• Staff understand that it is important for children to lead healthy lifestyles. Children spend lots of time outside. They dig in the sandpit and balance on the beam as they play with their friends and familiar staff. Children are developing their physical strength. They are practising and extending skills.
• Care practices are effective. In the baby room, staff explain to children when it is time for a nappy change. They give them time to process what will happen next. Babies have a flexible routine that meets their needs. Children feel relaxed and secure. They are ready to learn.
• Parents are happy with the care their children receive. They report that staff and children have special bonds with each other. Parents enjoy staying with their children in 'settle sessions'. This helps them to talk to staff about their children's previous experiences. Children enjoy strong relationships with staff, who know them well.
• Managers are reflective of their practice; they plan regular training events for staff. Staff routinely discuss with managers what training they feel would benefit them. This helps staff to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.
• Managers carry out regular supervision of staff. However, they do not always focus closely enough on how room leaders deploy staff in each room. On occasion, children lack support to help them be deeply engaged on focused activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further develop supervisions to support room leaders to deploy staff more effectively to support learning
• strengthen teaching practice so that the quality of interactions with children is of a high quality in all rooms.