Thorncliffe Park Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are highly engaged in their play and learning. Staff encourage children's own interests and children enjoy their time at the setting. For example, when they choose to play with toy animals, staff support them to sort the animals according to their habitat. When children notice that an animal sits on the top of the water, staff talk to them about floating and sinking. Children excitedly test which other objects float or sink.

Children learn about the world around them. Staff help them to think about why it is wet outside. They talk about the recent rainfall. Children fill watering cans and sprinkle water on the ground, saying, 'rain shower!'. They use wet leaves to fill baking trays, pretending to make cupcakes. When children knock down skittles, staff help them count how many are left standing. This helps children to learn about mathematical concepts.

Due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic, parents do not enter the setting when they bring or collect their children. To ensure good communication with parents, the staff have detailed discussions with parents at the door. They send home printed information, for example advice on toilet training, that would normally be displayed on noticeboards. To support new children to settle in well, parents are welcomed inside for settling-in sessions. This allows children and parents to develop effective relationships with their key person.

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

• Leaders and staff have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn and be able to do. They understand what children need to learn before they can move on to new skills. For example, they focus on teaching babies to be able to sit at a table before teaching toddlers to feed themselves with a fork. This is extended in pre-school, where children learn to use a knife and fork.
• Staff observe children and talk to their parents to find out what children know and can do. They use this information to plan activities and experiences which help children to make good progress across the areas of learning. Some activities are not challenging enough for the most able children. This means that they do not always make the best possible progress they are capable of.
• Children make good progress in their communication and language development. Babies notice a bus outside the nursery window and say, 'bus!'. Staff recognise this interest and take children to look. They name other vehicles they can see. Afterwards, staff choose a vehicle picture book to share with the children, who show great interest as staff name different vehicles. This helps younger children to learn new words. Older children engage in detailed conversations with each other and with staff. They share their ideas and experiences. Staff repeat children's sentences, modelling correct pronunciation.
• Mealtimes are social occasions which develop children's independence skills. Babies are taught how to wash their own hands with soap. They choose between 'milk' and 'water' by pointing and vocalising. Older children pour their own drinks. They collect their own plates and cutlery and use tongs to select the food they want. Staff and children eat together. They talk about the foods they like and dislike, both at nursery and at home. Staff teach children about good oral health and children practise brushing their teeth at nursery. Parents report that, consequently, their children are more willing to brush their teeth well at home.
• New staff receive induction training and support which help them to understand and fulfil their role. Leaders provide staff with ongoing professional support through regular supervision meetings. Staff have recently started to observe each other's practice, to improve the quality of teaching. However, staff have not yet received the training and support they need to do this effectively.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the arrangements for professional development so that staff receive relevant and effective feedback about their practice, training and support which continually improves the quality of teaching
• provide consistently high levels of challenge during activities so that the most able children make the best possible progress in their learning.