The Willows Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily enter this inviting nursery and quickly settle into the routines of the day. They enjoy daily access to the large garden. Children climb on board the pirate ship and giggle with friends as they pretend to set sail. Children patiently wait their turn to use the slide. They balance on logs and delight in taking risks as they jump off. This helps to build children's confidence, strengthen their large muscles and get their heart rates up.

There are exciting opportunities for mark making. Children squeeze water-spray bottles and watch intently as they make marks of the fence. They use large chalks on the floor to practise writing the letters in their name. This helps children to build the small hand muscles needed for their future writing.

Staff have high expectations for all children. Staff skilfully manage challenging behaviour and are calm and kind in their demeanour. They fully explain to children the impact their behaviour has on others. This gives children a good understanding of how to behave, show respect and follow rules. This prepares them well for their next stage in learning, including the move on to school.

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

• Leaders have made significant improvements to the nursery since their last inspection. Areas are clean, hygienic and free from hazards. Staff regularly assess the risks of the learning environment and swiftly clean up any water spillages. Staff effectively deploy themselves to meet the needs of the children. This helps to keep children safe and reduce the risk of accidents.
• Leaders have designed a new, ambitious curriculum that builds on what children know and can do. They make good use of popular stories to ignite children's interests in learning. Children make good progress in their development from their starting points. Staff understand what they want children to learn. However, sometimes, the quality of teaching does not extend children's learning to the highest level. For example, staff repeat questions too quickly, or ask simple closed questions. This means that children do not always have the time to think deeply or use their own ideas to respond.
• Children are learning important life skills, like sharing and taking turns. They sit nicely at the play dough table and discuss their creations with each other. They share the cutting tools and take turns to talk. Children behave well and show respect towards their friends and adults. Staff are good role models and regularly promote manners. This gives children a good example to follow.
• Staff are attentive to children's individual learning needs. For example, young babies show an interest in pushing furniture to practise walking. Staff respond quickly, finding resources to support children's physical development. This sharp attention to children's needs means gaps in their learning are closed swiftly.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They comment there have been noticeable improvements in the reporting of accidents, particularly head injuries, since the last inspection. This helps parents to feel reassured. They also say that leaders respond quickly to feedback and are open to making changes. This strengthens the relationship between home and nursery.
• Children show a love of books. Even the youngest children independently reach for books and carefully turn the pages. Staff use the story of the week to build activity ideas that interest children. This helps to deepen children's understanding of the story, learn new words and recall the plot.
• Staff regularly share progress information with parents through parents' evenings and an online app. They hold workshops for parents to attend within the nursery. Parents recently joined children and staff for a planting activity in the garden. This helps to give parents ideas to continue learning at home. It also gives parents an opportunity to get to know staff and build relationships.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. The experienced special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with other professionals. This means children with SEND get the early and ongoing support they might need. The SENCo supports staff to formulate specific SEND targets and regularly assesses the children's progress. This helps children to make good progress in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on the already good teaching practice, and support staff to fully challenge children to the highest level to help them make the very best progress.