The Wendy House Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff at the nursery create a home-from-home environment for children. They form strong and nurturing bonds with children. Staff evolve their practice to meet the changing needs of the families in their communities. For example, staff consider the attachments children have with their carers. This promotes children's emotional security and happiness.

Staff skilfully support children to develop key-language skills. They teach children to have ambitious back-and-forth conversations. Staff ask questions that extend children's vocabulary in a variety of different contexts. Children gain confidence and fluency as they accurately use increasingly challenging language. They are confident speakers who can express their needs.

Staff create routines that enable children to feel secure and understand the clear expectations in the nursery. When children struggle with their emotions, staff take intelligent action to support and guide them. Staff adapt their practice to consider the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff make links with other schools and childcare providers to provide consistency. This promotes children's emotional and social skills. All children gain confidence and learn key-life skills. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

• Leaders and staff support children to gain a wide range of knowledge and skills. Staff skilfully support children through interactions in their play. This helps children to make sense of the world around them. Children feel excited to make choices and develop their own interests. All children reach their developmental milestones.
• Staff understand that some children need additional support with their learning. They use effective assessment to identify children with SEND. Leaders and staff support children to access external help where required. All children make good progress in their learning.
• Staff skilfully support children to develop their communication and language skills. This includes children who speak English as an additional language. Staff identify key words that children need to learn, in order to develop their fluency. They repeat new words and sentence structures in different contexts. Children have a range of opportunities to use the new language they have learned. This promotes children's fluency.
• Overall, staff plan a curriculum that is ambitious for all children. However, on occasion, the planning of focused activities does not closely consider the emotional needs of all children, and some children feel overwhelmed. This limits the ability of all children to join in.
• Staff understand that it is important for children to lead healthy lifestyles. They regularly review their practice, in order to support children to explore new foods. Staff make links with external experts to further develop healthy eating habits among children. This provides children's physical health.
• Staff understand that it is important for children to spend regular time outside in the fresh air. They teach children to balance, develop core strength and gain physical stamina. All children are excited and engaged in outdoor play. This promotes children's physical strength.
• Leaders and staff understand that it is important for children to learn about people and communities beyond their own. However, the opportunities for children to explore these differences and build respect for other people are sometimes limited.
• Parents and carers are happy with the care their children receive at the nursery. They report that communication is effective in helping them identify children's next steps in learning. They report that the strong relationships between children and their key workers help children to feel safe.
• Leaders demonstrate a strong understanding of safe recruitment. They regularly carry out supervision sessions to ensure that staff's knowledge remains secure. Leaders identify continuous professional development opportunities for all staff. They closely link training to the interests and needs of children. This helps all staff's knowledge and skills to continue to develop over time.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop further the planning of focused activities to enable all children to join in
• build on existing good practice to help all children to develop an understanding and respect for people and communities beyond their own.