Victoria Road Private Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in the warm, welcoming and vibrant nursery. Staff have a comprehensive understanding of all children's needs, based on first-hand observations and the excellent relationships that they have established with children and their families. Staff have high expectations of children. This helps to ensure that all children make superb progress.

Children's emotional health and mental well-being are given considerable consideration. Staff implement yoga and 'stretch and grow' sessions to support children in their ability to calm and regulate their feelings. They ensure that children have calm and quiet spaces to retreat to if needed, and they skilfully talk to children about their emotions. These excellent opportunities contribute significantly to children being exceptionally well behaved, happy, settled and eager to learn.

Leaders and staff have worked tremendously hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. They maintained consistent communication with those children who could not attend due to closures and lockdowns. Staff video called children frequently and pre-recorded storytelling sessions for children to enjoy with their families. Furthermore, they produced activity packs to support children's learning at home and delivered food parcels for families in need. This helped to ensure that children's anxieties about returning were eased and transitions back to nursery were seamless.

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

• Staff have developed innovative strategies to swiftly identify any emerging gaps in children's language skills. They successfully implement learning from recent training, to deliver high-quality interventions that help children to quickly catch up with their peers. Staff expertly narrate children's play, which helps to ensure that children hear a broad range of language. Staff supporting pre-school children ensure that their questioning techniques encourage children to think and articulate their thoughts and ideas. This practice has a hugely positive impact on the progress that children make in their speech and language development.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive highly tailored support. Knowledgeable staff provide carefully considered, personalised support that is regularly reviewed and continuously shared with parents. Furthermore, robust partnership working with other professionals ensures that any gaps in children's learning are swiftly identified and addressed.
• Staff create an abundance of opportunities to support children to develop their independence and self-care skills. For example, babies competently feed themselves at mealtimes, and older children skilfully serve their food and tidy away their plates and cutlery. Children understand that they must wash their hands before eating. They happily sing a song that encourages handwashing for 20 seconds. Children explain that they must do this 'because of the virus'. Furthermore, when children are sat listening to a story, they know that they must place their hands on their knees. They understand that this protects them as their friends will not accidentally step on their fingers. Consequently, children are successfully developing important skills, such as how to manage their own risks and building knowledge for the future.
• Children have excellent opportunities to reflect on their differences and understand their place within society. Staff ensure that their practice and resources are fully inclusive and reflect children's heritage and cultures. For example, staff model how to use sign language as another method of communication. Children participate in fundraising activities, such as completing a sponsored walk to raise funds to build the local community 'hub'. This successfully supports children to learn about where they live. Furthermore, it prepares children exceptionally well for life in modern Britain.
• Leadership is strong. Exceptionally high priority is given to nurturing the staff team. For example, huge investment has been made to ensure that staff have access to 24-hour support. Paperwork has been significantly reduced, which has had a positive impact on staff's interactions with children. Staff speak very highly of the leadership team and value the 'amazing' support and recognition that they receive.
• Partnerships with parents are tremendous. Staff deliver education opportunities that help parents to understand the importance of the early years. They encourage families to reflect on their use and impact of technology in children's lives. Photos of children going for walks, reading a book and baking are warmly shared and celebrated. Furthermore, leaders plan to deliver stay-and-play sessions again, once the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions ease. These opportunities have a very positive impact on promoting positive outcomes for children.