The Granary Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery. Staff develop warm relationships with the children in their care. For example, babies freely approach staff for cuddles, and children who are new starters settle quickly. Staff know children are inquisitive about the world around them. Children are eager to view the nursery caterpillars, which have recently become butterflies. Staff introduce new vocabulary, explaining the butterflies have left their 'chrysalis' and they eat using a 'proboscis.' Children share previous learning with their friends as they know the proboscis helps butterflies drink nectar. This builds on children's emerging interests.

Children have multiple opportunities to develop their muscle strength and coordination skills. Babies confidently crawl, pulling themselves up on play equipment. Staff hold babies' hands as they start to walk, helping them gain confidence on their feet. Toddlers pedal bicycles and push themselves along on ride-on toys. When toddlers want the same tricycle, staff explain how to use the sand timer to help them take turns. To this end, toddlers know when their time on the tricycle is over and happily give it to their friend. Pre-school children roll large tyres across the grass, run up and down slopes and dig in sand. When pre-school children throw balls into a small tree, staff encourage them to consider how to retrieve them. Staff supervise as children safely carry a small ladder to the tree, where they work together to get the balls. This helps children problem solve.

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

• Staff provide healthy snacks, meals and fresh drinking water for children. They work closely with parents to manage children's allergies. Staff follow established processes to ensure information is safely communicated across the nursery and use different coloured placemats to ensure the safe management of individual children.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their independence skills. At mealtimes, pre-school children are supported to pour drinks, wash their plates and cups, and tuck their chairs away before leaving the table. Toddlers are reminded to put on slippers when they return inside from outdoor play, where staff offer assistance for those who require help. Older babies are learning to wash their hands. Staff help them turn on taps and dry their hands once finished. This helps children learn to do as much for themselves as possible.
• Staff are good role models and support children to share, use good manners and follow the daily routine. Children are respectful and ask each other to play, waiting patiently for their friends to be ready to start activities. However, staff do not always help toddlers understand what they expect of them. For example, some toddlers become distracted and leave during group activities. Staff encourage some children to rejoin the activities while others are allowed to go and play. This results in some children becoming confused about what they should and should not do.
• Staff plan activities for children to develop their small-muscle skills. These activities help children practise the skills needed for early writing. For example, older babies use chunky brushes to paint colourful lines, while younger babies use their fingers to make marks on paper. Pre-school children are encouraged to use tongs to pick up cucumber sticks for their snack, and toddlers work with staff to roll balls down shoots. Toddlers repeat this play, giggling with delight each time a ball lands in the bucket.
• Staff help children develop their early mathematical skills. They encourage children to count and recognise colours, sizes and shapes. For example, toddlers work with staff to join differently shaped bricks to make new shapes. Pre-school children talk about the colours in the Union Jack flag. Staff help children use the colours from the flag to mix new colours. Children excitedly notice that mixing red and white paint makes pink. Babies enjoy scooping sand into a toy digger. Staff use vocabulary such as 'full' and 'empty.'
• Staff provide a well-considered learning environment within the nursery. Children benefit from a balance of child-led play and adult-initiated activities indoors. However, staff do not always plan and provide the same level of rich learning experiences outdoors. This means that some children do not fully engage in outdoor play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop and implement consistent behaviour management strategies which build on toddlers understanding of behaviour expectations
• build on how staff plan the outdoor provision to ensure that it consistently meets the individual needs of all children.