The Little Ripley Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited to attend this highly engaging and nurturing setting. They form strong relationships with staff and their peers, which helps them to feel safe and secure. All children are highly engaged in a range of enticing activities on offer that support their learning and development. Children have fun, giggle and shout 'splash' as they wash babies in water. Children develop independence exceptionally well. For example, they hang up their own bags, put on their own hats and older children serve their own lunch. Opportunities to develop physical skills are in abundance. Babies learn to stand by pulling themselves up on walkers and older children enjoy the vast range of exciting climbing equipment.

Children develop their speech exceptionally well. Staff ask a range of inspiring questions and talk to children throughout the day about what they are doing. Children are regularly introduced to new and challenging vocabulary. They enjoy joining in with stories and a range of familiar nursery rhymes. Behaviour is exceptional. Children consistently use excellent manners and take turns, respecting each other's needs and opinions. Children benefit from an inspiring range of opportunities and experiences. For example, they enjoy learning French, cooking and music. They enjoy taking trips to the local park and shops.

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

• Children make excellent progress from their starting points. The manager and staff plan an exciting and well-sequenced curriculum that focuses on children's interests. They break curriculum goals down into small steps, so that children of all ages develop and learn successfully.
• Staff are highly effective at finding out what children know and can do. They work extremely closely with parents to ensure learning from home is captured. This means all children receive well-planned activities that focus on what they need to learn next. This helps them progress rapidly. Staff are exceptionally passionate about children becoming enthusiastic learners. They are committed to providing a range of inspiring learning experiences to engage and excite children and to promote their love for learning. The manager and staff are committed to ensuring children have fun at the nursery.
• Staff place a high priority on British values. They support children to learn about similarities and differences in themselves and others. Children celebrate a vast range of cultural festivals. Children know that being different is what makes them special.
• The manager is extremely reflective. She strives to make unlimited continual improvements in the setting for the benefit of children. The manager uses additional funding that is received highly effectively in order to support specific learning and development needs. Parents and children are involved in the improvements of the setting. The manager works exceptionally hard to make improvements based on children's and parent's views.
• The manager places training at the heart of the setting's development. Staff regularly receive time and support to complete a wide range of training that enables them to provide children with the highest quality provision.
• The process for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is excellent. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) uses her expert knowledge to put swift and effective support in place. The SENCO engages with a range of external services, so that children receive the highest quality provision. Staff ensure that parents are fully involved.
• The transition process is outstanding. Staff go above and beyond to support children as they transition into different rooms. The transition process to school is also exemplary. Staff welcome teachers into the nursery to meet the children in an environment where they feel most comfortable. This means that future teachers are able to find out a wealth of information to support children as they move into primary school.
• Parent partnership is embedded throughout the setting. Praise from parents is unlimited. Parents say the support and information they receive from the nursery is excellent. They praise the regular communication they receive and are delighted with the progress children make. Parents say they know what their children are currently learning and how to continue to support this development at home.