The Old Windsor Day Nursery and Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this inclusive nursery. Babies are comforted by the nurturing staff whenever they feel unsure. Older children are keen to start their day at the nursery, greeting the staff as they enter. The warm, caring attitude of the staff helps children to feel safe and secure.

Children show increasing independence in their self-care skills from when they start at the nursery. Babies learn to feed themselves and develop their walking skills, while older children enjoy serving their own meals at lunchtime. Staff use fun strategies to help children learn how to put their coats on. Children are confident at managing their own personal care needs and confidently wash their hands or wipe their noses.

Children behave well. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and have developed a consistent approach to any unwanted behaviours. For example, staff sensitively explain to the children the choices they can make, which empowers them, and children have a positive attitude towards learning. This means that children quickly learn what is expected of them, supporting their self-esteem and well-being. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning.

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

• Leaders and the newly appointed manager have a strong vision for the nursery. They have made some changes to the provision, including giving staff more autonomy over their practice by letting them embrace children's own choices in learning. Staff recognise and place a high focus on developing children's personal, social and emotional development to prepare them for their transition to school. Staff comment positively on these changes and feel valued in the nursery.
• Staff develop children's communication and vocabulary. For instance, children are able explain the difference between a carnivore and a herbivore as they pretend to brush the dinosaur's teeth. However, occasionally, the same children are often asked questions by staff while quieter children sometimes get overlooked. This means that the quieter children are not actively encouraged by staff to extend their thinking and speaking skills.
• Children learn the importance of a healthy lifestyle from a young age. The chef works closely with the staff, children and parents to cater to children's dietary needs and preferences. Babies thoroughly enjoy the range of healthy snacks, including fruit and soft foods. They have daily access to the garden, where they learn to climb and safely explore the outdoors. Older children talk to the chef about the different food they eat at lunchtime. Older children are physically active; they run in the garden with their friends and paint with brushes on the fences using water. Children become confident in physical activity and enjoy eating healthily.
• Children enjoy listening to stories. They recall different parts of the story and talk about the different characters in 'Little Red Riding Hood'. However, during group times, some younger children find it hard to concentrate, as the story is too long. This means that they distract older children as they seek interactions. This disrupts children's learning.
• Children behave well. Staff support children to understand different emotions. For instance, they draw 'happy' and 'sad' faces. They talk to the children about how they may feel. This broadens children's knowledge of emotions.
• Children with SEND are supported very well. Leaders and staff work hard to ensure that children and their families have access to relevant support agencies. They communicate frequently with parents and work hard to support children. This helps staff precisely plan children's next steps. Consequently, they make good progress in their learning and development.
• Partnership with parents is good. They value the support staff give them to help their child make progress in their learning. New parents say that the settling-in session really helps them get to know their child's key person.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff teaching skills in group activities to support quieter children
• improve planning for story times to maximise the learning opportunities for all children.