The Little Ripley Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff nurture children's social skills by facilitating turn-taking during group activities. For example, they use tools such as 'Simon the Spider' to provide each child with the opportunity to share something about their home life. They encourage children to choose whose turn it is next, helping them to build positive relationships with others. Staff actively promote children's participation in group activities. For instance, they prompt them to reposition themselves for better engagement during story time and invite them to join conversations. When some children miss specialist activities, such as music sessions, staff recreate the experience on other days. This ensures all children access the same enriching opportunities.

Staff actively promote children's growing independence. For instance, they encourage children to ask for more when their cups are empty, gather their own cutlery at mealtimes and scrape their plates once finished. Staff model positive behaviours by eating alongside children and demonstrating how to use utensils. This helps children to build confidence in their abilities. Staff show a deep understanding of each child's unique personality. For instance, they sensitively support children who rely on a dummy, recognising that sudden removal may cause distress. At the same time, they remain mindful of the potential impact that prolonged use may have on children's speech development.

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

• The curriculum is thoughtfully sequenced and developmentally appropriate, supporting the development of children's knowledge and skills. As a result, children consistently demonstrate high levels of engagement and a positive attitude to learning.
• Staff develop children's understanding of colour from an early age. For example, they name objects and their colours during everyday interactions with babies. As children progress, they begin to confidently identify colours in their environment. Older children explore colour mixing, and over time begin to associate colours with emotions, expressing feelings such as being 'red' when angry.
• Staff plan activities with clear intent. For example, when a child welcomes a new sibling into the family, they provide dolls and related resources to help them to learn about caring for babies. This supports children in making sense of real-life experiences.
• Leaders and staff build strong relationships with parents and carers through various methods, including using an app to share updates on children's activities and progress. Parents appreciate the regular communication from staff to extend children's learning at home. They report that their children talk enthusiastically about the nursery, highlighting the positive impact it has on their well-being.
• Staff observe and assess children's development to identify areas where additional support may be needed. However, there is scope for leaders to strengthen monitoring systems to ensure staff consistently meet children's personal care needs. At times, staff do not model or reinforce effective handwashing routines and occasionally overlook children who are not regularly accessing drinks.
• Staff report that leaders provide highly reflective supervision sessions, which enable them to develop personalised plans for their ongoing professional growth. Both staff and leaders describe a positive working environment where they feel supported in their roles, and their well-being is valued.
• Children excel in their literacy skills, enthusiastically engaging in letter recognition activities and practising name writing. Staff foster a love of reading from an early age by capturing children's interests through interactive stories and songs. Even the youngest of children learn to turn pages independently as they share books with staff.
• Children develop strong fine and gross motor skills. For example, babies build core strength through supported tummy time. Toddlers use sponges and paintbrushes to make prints. Older children develop precision and control by placing pegs into boards to create patterns. These activities help children to gain confidence in their physical abilities and lay the foundation for later skills, such as writing and self-care.
• There are effective systems in place for recording and monitoring accidents. Staff promptly complete accident forms through the nursery app, ensuring parents receive the information on the same day. Following any accident, leaders take swift and appropriate action to review and adapt the environment, minimising the risk of similar incidents in the future. This demonstrates their strong commitment to continuous improvement.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor staff practices more closely to ensure that children's personal care needs are consistently supported and met.