Twiggy's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to attend this friendly and homely setting. Staff welcome children with warm smiles and cuddles. They build strong bonds with children and provide a warm and nurturing environment in which children thrive. The strong key-person system ensures staff know the children well. This supports individual learning to ensure all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points. The strong and well-sequenced curriculum supports children to develop skills in all areas of learning. For example, babies explore paints with brushes, rollers and their hands. They show great concentration as they paint varying objects using a range of tools. Older children dig and scoop the sand, and they fill and empty containers. Children start to develop and control their small muscles. They use their hand-eye coordination and imagination as they explore the textures and mark make.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and are good role models. They remind children to use their manners, share and take turns. The children's behaviour is good. They listen to staff and follow instructions well. Staff teach children about different emotions and children are starting to manage their feelings well. For example, they say they are happy when their mummy plays with them, or they are sad or angry if a friend knocks down their tower of bricks. Children start to think of others and are kind to their friends. For example, older children support other children to wash their hands, or they sit and look at books together.

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

• Managers show they are extremely passionate about the care and education they offer. They want the children to have a secure and nurturing start to their learning. Managers support the well-established, experienced team with regular supervisions. They work with staff to plan professional development which enhances their teaching skills. Staff feel well supported and valued by managers. This ensures a happy workforce that work well together, ensuring a calm and caring setting for children.
• Staff support children's mathematical learning well. Children learn about numbers, amounts, colours and size through a variety of activities. They hear a range of mathematical language, such as 'more' and 'less', as they play. Staff and children count items to match numbers. This helps to support children's understanding of mathematics and give numbers context.
• Children with SEND are well supported in the setting. Staff work with parents and outside agencies to support the children. They use extra funding to enhance their provision to meet individual needs. For example, staff have undergone further training in specific areas of SEND, and purchase resources to further support children. This ensures all children make good progress.
• Children have lots of opportunities to develop and enhance their skills. Outdoors, they can develop their large muscles as they run, climb and balance. They use the mud kitchen to fill pots and stir their mud creations. They use their imagination and develop social skills as they talk to their friends about what they are making. Indoors, children listen to stories and sing songs which help them develop their listening and communication skills. Overall, the curriculum supports children's learning. However, some children would benefit from more challenge to make even better progress in their learning.
• Staff discuss differing cultures and family dynamics with the children, and this starts to prepare them for life in modern Britain. Children learn about festivals such as Diwali and Chinese New Year and are introduced to foods from other countries to taste. However, children have little opportunity to explore and learn about diversity in their everyday play.
• Staff encourage children to make healthy choices. For example, they discuss the importance of good hygiene practices and children know why it is important to wash their hands. Children learn about oral health and why we need to brush our teeth. Every day, they have healthy snacks and a cooked lunch, daily exercise and fresh air.
• Parents and carers value the setting and speak highly of the staff. They feel the managers and staff support them and their children well and the setting has a family feel. Staff share key information with parents, both verbally and using an online system. This ensures parents are kept well informed about their children's day and their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance teaching to further develop challenge and meaningful learning opportunities for children
• increase opportunities for children to learn more about families and cultures that are different to their own.