The Marston Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this nursery. Babies settle happily with staff and older children run in and eagerly explore the activities. Children feel valued and welcome. Staff are committed to the nursery's ethos of understanding the needs of each child and putting children first in all they do. Children are inquisitive and immerse themselves in activities that link to their interests. For example, toddlers construct space rockets to send their favourite toy animals to the moon. This encourages their creativity and language. Staff sensitively consider the effects of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. They recognise that changes can be upsetting and support children well when they move up to the next room.

Children are kind and caring towards one another. For example, older children stop to give younger ones a cuddle and talk gently to them. Children enjoy many activities that help develop their physical skills and knowledge of how to keep themselves safe. They crawl through tunnels and climb on pallets, carefully assessing the safety of these before climbing. Staff have high expectations for each child and children respond to their positive approaches. For example, young children paint using reeds and bulrushes. They confidently approach this new experience and enjoy exploring the patterns they make.

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

• Managers support staff well and sensitively consider their well-being. They encourage staff to complete training and read a range of literature to develop their knowledge.
• Children enjoy activities that relate to their interests. Staff know what children need to learn next and confidently incorporate this into their chosen activities. Children playing with 'moon sand' describe the texture, helping to extend their communication. They remember how they made this and compare it to making coloured dough, helping to build their critical thinking skills.
• Children develop a love of books. During group story time, children are captivated as the staff member reads with enthusiasm and animation. Children eagerly predict what will happen and join in with familiar words.
• Staff support children to feel involved in their community. For example, children participate in local fundraising events and use nearby amenities. This helps them to appreciate the needs of others and sparks their interest in the wider world.
• Children work well together, building the skills that support them when they start school. For example, older children build a bug hotel and alert one another if they see a bug in there.
• Parents praise staff. They comment that staff 'go the extra mile to ensure children are safe and happy'. Parents report that staff communicate well, offering practical ideas for home activities. For example, staff make simple videos, such as how to make sensory bottles.
• Managers understand the possibility of children falling behind in their learning, particularly following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Their frequent monitoring of children's progress means they swiftly highlight areas where further support is needed. Staff adapt their support to suit children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that all make good progress. Staff work well with families and other professionals.
• Children develop good communication skills. Staff encourage children to talk as they play. Children laugh as they count, 'one, two, three, splash', and drop lemon slices into water. Babies respond with babbles and simple words as staff sing to them.
• Staff, generally, offer children good support to participate. For example, when children make paint patterns on pallets with the soles of their shoes, a staff member encourages this, and the children compare sizes and shapes. However, on occasion, some staff do not act promptly in guiding children to build on their spontaneous play and children lose interest.
• Children learn how to make positive choices that support them in keeping healthy. They help to grow and cook vegetables and talk about the oral health benefits of a good diet.
• Overall, most staff support children well in developing their independence. However, this practice is not always consistent, and some staff do things for children that they could try themselves, such as putting on their coats. This confuses children and does not promote their independence as much as possible.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to respond promptly to include all children in following their own spontaneous ideas to a conclusion
• support all staff to understand and follow the setting's agreed approaches to helping children develop their independence.