The Grange Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very content, confident and curious and have secure bonds with staff. They show they feel safe and protected as they happily play alongside staff and their peers. Children competently seek staff out for support when needed. For example, babies hand their bibs to staff for help to put them on. Children respond positively to staff as they are supported to share and take turns. For example, older children cooperate well as they work together to get insects through the tape gaps on the tray.

Children show very positive attitudes towards their learning. For example, older children enjoy dressing up in different professional costumes as they take on the role of those professions. Staff ask questions to promote children's critical thinking and introduce the mathematical concepts of size and amounts. They ask older children to estimate how many more worms they will need to make eight if they already have six. Babies thoroughly enjoy exploring the garden as they toddle around. Staff encourage them to consider and manage risks as they challenge themselves, walking with containers in their hands.

Staff provide toddlers with good ongoing dialogue that supports their communication and language development. For example, they happily join in conversation with staff as they respond with babbles and some words, which staff respond to positively.

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

• The management team and staff work well together to provide high-quality care and learning experiences for children. They have the same ambition for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They know what children need to learn next and provide effective support for their learning. Managers ensure that the educational programme in each age group is clearly planned.
• Children develop strong physical skills for future learning. They show good control and coordination in both large and small movements, appropriate for their age and stage of development. For example, babies learn to balance as they move around in the garden, and toddlers competently use a tong to pick items up as they serve themselves at teatime. Older children use small construction toys with ease as they build structures of their choice.
• Staff very successfully support children to manage their own feelings and behaviour and to understand how these have an impact on others. When children struggle with regulating their behaviour, leaders and practitioners take appropriate action to support them. Staff encourage children to be kind, considerate and respectful of others. They are reminded of simple rules when needed, such as to share and take turns.
• Children demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning. Practitioners model active listening skills that support children to listen and respond constructively to adults and each other. For example, children particularly enjoy sharing books and stories with practitioners and talk in detail about the pictures in the books. Children happily join in activities with staff who support them with counting and measuring items, which children thoroughly enjoy. However, on the odd occasion, some activities are not thought through fully to ensure that young children's interests are consistently sustained to maximise their learning.
• The key-person system is well established. This helps children to form secure attachments and promotes their well-being and confidence. Children of all ages are highly independent. Practitioners encourage children to carry out simple tasks for themselves. For example, all children competently serve themselves, clean their hands and face before and after lunch without support and feed themselves. Older children manage their own personal needs very well.
• Managers have created a culture where staff feel valued and supported. They provide supervision and training to support staff's professional development. Staff are alert to identify children who may have SEND, and the special educational needs coordinator makes prompt referrals to outside agencies. They liaise effectively with other professionals to ensure that children receive the right support at the right time. As a result, all children make good progress from their starting points.
• Practitioners provide a healthy diet and a range of opportunities for children to be active, both inside and outdoors. They give clear and consistent messages to children that support healthy choices around food and rest. The manager provides information to parents about supporting children's good dental hygiene. The nursery chef ensures a healthy, varied diet is planned and prepared each day, considering the dietary requirements for each child.
• Partnership with parents is a strength of the nursery. Parents speak very highly about the service they receive and praise the work that staff do. Staff send home regular photos and speak to parents daily to share their children's achievements and learning. Parents and staff share information with each other daily at drop-off and pick-up times. Parents are also invited to attend parents' meetings with their child's key person.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to ensure that adult-led activities engage every child in their learning.