The Honey Pots Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a welcoming and inclusive environment where children's individual needs are recognised and embraced. Attentive staff help children to feel secure and settled as they provide appropriate levels of support. This helps children to enjoy their play and learning experiences and make good progress. Staff work closely as a team to provide a well-balanced and stimulating curriculum that all children, including children with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can access. For example, during weekly music and movement session, staff actively participate and help children to follow and join in the activities. Children listen carefully to instructions. They delight in moving their bodies in time to the rhythm, copying actions and playing instruments. This helps all children to gain the most from the activities.

Staff are positive role models and teach children to respect their environment and one another. They provide clear explanations for children so that they understand why their actions may upset another child. When staff notice children showing an interest in practising their throwing skills when playing outside, they direct them to appropriate resources they can use. Children show their understanding by happily swapping hoops for soft balls or using their hoop for rolling games. This enables all children to play together safely and cooperatively.

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

• Managers provide strong and effective leadership. They have a secure overview of the nursery and work collaboratively with the staff team to embed an ambitious and meaningful curriculum that is tailored to the needs of the children and supports them all to reach their potential.
• The SEND coordinator uses her knowledge and expertise to work alongside staff and children to implement clear strategies that help children with additional needs to adjust to new or different routines. For example, the consistent use of picture cards and visual timetables supports children throughout the day. Children feel reassured as they know what they are doing and what is going to happen next.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children respond positively to staff who immerse themselves in children's play and activities. Staff sensitively guide children and help them to learn how to build strong relationships with one another. Children happily join in games with their friends, learning to share and take turns with resources.
• Parents comment that children enjoy coming to nursery and have fun with their friends. Parents value the information they receive from staff about children's care and development. They praise staff for the work they have done in helping children to settle quickly and make progress. Parents report that staff help to prepare children well for school.
• Children develop their social skills as they sit alongside staff and their friends at mealtimes. Children demonstrate polite manners as they say 'please' and 'thank you' when passing things around the table. They develop their coordination skills as they use cutlery and pour drinks. Although staff engage well with children at mealtimes, they do not always extend learning, for example, through introducing new vocabulary during conversations. When they have finished eating some children need more direction from staff to help them to engage in purposeful play.
• Children enjoy regular opportunities to go outside and engage in physical play. They show interest and excitement as they use their senses to explore the outdoor environment on a cold and frosty day. They carefully study the icy patterns that have formed, and use brushes in an attempt to clear the frost away. They recognise the soil is hard when they start digging and notice the water in plant pots has turned to ice. Children experiment with different tools to try to crack the ice blocks and giggle as they pretend to go ice skating.
• Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to provide children with experiences that enrich their learning and broaden their awareness of the world around them. Forest school sessions are offered to stimulate children's appreciation of the natural world and outings into the community give children opportunities to learn about road safety. This helps to prepare children for life outside nursery and home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of lunchtime, so that older children continue to make positive choices when they have finished eating
• support staff in further promoting children's language development during group snack times.