The Osterley De Lacey Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this nurturing and inclusive nursery. Staff provide a calm and purposeful space, where well-established routines help children feel safe and secure. Children separate easily from their parents and carers. They are keen to find out what exciting things are happening each day.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning. Throughout the nursery, children are active learners and engaged in a variety of interesting activities. Leaders and staff ensure that children's play is purposeful and fun. The ambitious curriculum they implement ensures that activities focus on individual learning opportunities and are designed thoughtfully to equip children with the confidence to be independent and curious learners. There is a focus on supporting children's language and independence to support children in their transition to primary school.

Children enjoy the wide range of activities available to them, indoors and outdoors. Staff support children well through modelling and engaging in play with them. For instance, children enjoy using safety knives to cut real fruit in the role-play area. This helps children develop positive attitudes to their learning as they learn to manage their own risks safely.

Staff strive to ensure the nursery is inclusive and welcoming. This helps each child to feel valued and heard. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are particularly well supported. Children behave well, with well-embedded routines to support their understanding of expected behaviours. Staff ensure children know what is expected of them. This creates a calm and orderly environment in which all can achieve.

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

• The curriculum is focused on providing children with meaningful learning opportunities. Staff strive to provide children with real-life learning experiences. Children actively enjoy learning about the life cycle of a frog as they explore a sensory activity. As they do, staff skilfully extend children's language as they model new vocabulary such as 'tadpoles'. This helps to build children's understanding of the world around them and give meaning to new vocabulary.
• A sharp focus on communication and language weaves through children's experiences. Staff know the importance of developing children's vocabulary and encouraging talk for all children. Mostly this works well in practice. Staff adapt activities and guide play to introduce words and sentences. However, sometimes, in their enthusiasm, not all staff provide children with the time to pause and think about what is being said. This does not fully embed opportunities for children to deepen their communication skills.
• Careful thought has been given to supporting children's social skills and understanding of others. Daily routines provide opportunities for children to succeed. For example, young babies join in activities, such as songs and mealtimes with older children. This helps them feel secure and establish positive relationships for when they move into the main room.
• Children develop a love of reading from an early age. Staff read stories with enthusiasm, which captures the attention of even the youngest children.
• Children are successful in learning how to do things for themselves. Staff ensure that children understand and appreciate the importance of issues such as healthy eating and taking care of their body. Children serve their own food during mealtimes and help tidy away their dishes once they have finished.
• Assessment is used well. Leaders and staff dedicate time to reflect on children's needs. This helps them to identify gaps in learning and plan suitable next steps for children. The needs of children with SEND are also carefully considered. Children with SEND are fully included and they play alongside their peers. Staff work with external agencies to ensure that children's specific needs are met and provide additional, targeted support for individuals and groups, such as sharing 'special time' activities
• Staff are proud to work at the nursery. They feel well supported by leaders. Staff value the opportunities leaders provide to take part in professional development. However, on occasion, systems to mentor less-experienced staff are not used to their full potential. Leaders have identified this and are self-reflective in their practice. They plan to further extend opportunities to support all staff in becoming effective practitioners.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents feel supported in their children's learning and development. They receive regular updates about their children's time at the nursery through a range of communication methods. Parents report that they receive regular opportunities to take part in activities the nursery holds, such as sports day and coffee mornings.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan more effectively to help children to further develop their communication and thinking skills
• strengthen the support for all staff to develop their knowledge and skills to ensure even more consistency in practice and raise their professional development even further.