The Village Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children have regular opportunities to enjoy the large outdoor space together. They excitedly dress up on the outdoor stage and proudly show other children and staff their costumes. Children climb over crates confidently. They enjoy clambering on large tractor tyres and throwing soft bricks to each other. Children show respect for one another and enjoy playing with their friends. They carefully plant sunflower seeds in pots and draw sunflower plants on the brick wall with chalk. Children are intrigued when staff compare heights with the sunflowers.

Children access a variety of books and some take pride in reading the story to staff. Older children carefully pour their own drinks. Children wash their faces and brush their teeth independently after lunch. Babies snuggle in with responsive staff when they choose to. They confidently explore the environment and choose toys to touch and feel. Children enthusiastically join in and listen attentively. They try hard to roll out play dough themselves. When staff talk about a book they have read together, children remember and roll out an apple for the caterpillar. Children find their own tissue and know to wash their hands after using it.

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

• The manager has a clear curriculum. Leaders plan this curriculum across the rooms so that it is sequenced and developmentally appropriate for all children. Staff know the children well. This helps children to develop skills and knowledge for their future learning.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) ensures that there is an ambitious curriculum and all children's needs are met. Effective partnerships are fostered with local services, other professionals and parents to support this. Therefore, all children have full access to early education.
• Children's dietary needs and allergies are well managed. Children are offered healthy choices for snack. However, staff do not give children clear and consistent messages to support healthy food choices, such as through the menus offered. Staff do not consistently discuss this with children during snack times and mealtimes, to support children's physical health and understanding further.
• Parents have opportunities to borrow books from the nursery library. This supports them to extend their child's learning at home and encourages a love of reading. Children are seen to choose and read books independently in the nursery and talk about them with their friends.
• Staff share mathematical concepts with children through the activities offered. For example, they ask children to find the 'big' and 'small' gingerbread men. Children are supported effectively to move on to the next stage of their learning.
• Staff's awareness of children's emotional security is a strength throughout the nursery. Staff working with the youngest children talk about how settled the babies are, who are given comforters when needed. They understand that when children have recently moved rooms, they need time to settle and know how to support them. For example, staff use books which promote feelings across a range of transitions throughout the nursery. This helps to appropriately develop children's emotional literacy.
• Staff use policies in the nursery to support children's safe use of the internet and social media. However, they do not use their partnerships with parents to help children to extend their understanding of how to stay safe when using the internet, digital technology and social media at home.
• From birth onwards, children are physically active in their play. All children have opportunities to use balls, tricycles and dig in the large outdoor space. Every week, pre-school children have a sports session, which includes cheerleading and ball skills. This means that children have opportunities to develop their physiological, cardiovascular and motor skills.
• Staff communicate well with children. For example, they use visual routines and images to support children to prepare for all transitions in the nursery. They use sign language to check children's understanding and adapt teaching when needed.
• The manager is well supported. She knows staff well and has a presence in the rooms. Leaders have effective systems in place for the supervision and support of staff. For example, all staff can access mental health and well-being support. Apprentices say they can go to any member of staff for support.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give children clear and consistent messages to support their healthy food choices
• strengthen information-sharing with parents around their children's safe use of the internet, digital technology and social media at home.