Toddle-Inn Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are visibly happy and safe and form warm, positive relationships with their peers and staff. Staff are very caring, approachable and sensitive to each child's individual needs. They build strong rapports with children and support their emotional well-being very well. Children arrive at the nursery eager to join in and learn. Staff remind children of what is expected of them to help children know how to behave positively. Children play with each other well and confidently tell staff when they need help during their play. They are independent. For instance, staff support babies to feed themselves at mealtimes, and older children learn to use tools, such as paint and paintbrushes, with good control and skill. Children develop good physical skills.

Children enjoy the learning experiences they participate in with staff. Staff plan exciting activities that stimulate children's curiosity and challenge them. They have high expectations of what children can achieve. For instance, children keenly learn about the world and nature, such as while responsibly taking care of the nursery's pet snails. Children are motivated to learn new things, such as where snails live and what they eat, and have high levels of concentration. Staff skilfully teach children new words, and children develop a broad vocabulary.

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

• The manager has a clear vision for what she wants children in the nursery to learn, with a strong focus on developing children's communication, independence and social skills. Staff share her vision, and overall, they interact with children well to help them achieve the next steps in their development, in readiness for their future learning.
• All children make good progress in their development. Staff skilfully adapt their interactions with children who show delays in their learning to help meet their individual learning needs. Leaders and staff work well with other professionals, seeking advice when needed to help ensure that children receive any additional support that may be required.
• Staff know their key children well. They know what their key children can and cannot do and plan effectively overall to help them achieve the next steps in learning. However, at times, the activities that staff provide to support children's early writing skills have scope to be strengthened. For instance, sometimes staff fail to guide and support children when misconceptions arise during writing activities to help enhance children's overall literacy development.
• Staff instil a love of books in children. For example, pre-school children have visits to the local library and select books to take back with them to nursery. Children eagerly listen to staff reading non-fiction books from the library to them. They learn to understand words such as 'nocturnal' and practise using new language they have learned in discussion. Children are very good communicators and develop their understanding of the world well.
• Children enjoy learning outdoors. They have regular opportunities to be active, such as while using climbing equipment, playing with bats and balls and running and jumping. Staff also organise regular outings for children, such as to the local park and farms to widen children's opportunities for learning and development.
• Staff form effective partnerships with parents. Parents express that staff regularly share information with them via the nursery's online app, such as about children's daily routines and what they are learning to do. Staff also inform parents of how they can support their children's development at home to help provide children with consistency in their learning.
• Leaders are reflective and conscientious. They are passionate about their roles and are keen to seek feedback from others to help implement continuous improvements in the nursery. For instance, they actively seek the views of parents and act on any feedback given to help develop experiences for children.
• The manager monitors staff's practice effectively, such as through regular supervision sessions and observations of their interactions with children. She supports staff well in their professional development to help maintain good-quality experiences for children. Staff have regular opportunities to improve their skills and knowledge, such as accessing training sessions via an online training provider.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's understanding of how to support children's early literacy skills, particularly for writing.