Villas Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children and parents warmly on arrival. This supports children to feel safe and secure. Children enter the nursery happily, with big smiles on their faces. They demonstrate that they thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. Children show their independence as they hang up their coats and find their names for the registration board. Children initiate their own play and are interested to play with a wide range of resources, which are easily accessible. For example, they explore with construction toys to create designs and bring their ideas to life. Despite facing some challenges, children persevere with their play, and they proudly show staff what they have built. This helps to build children's confidence, resilience and self-esteem.

Children's behaviour is good. They have lovely manners, and when they forget to use them, staff kindly remind them. They are kind and considerate to each other and know how to share resources appropriately. For example, when using the bat and ball in the garden, children pass them around so others can take turns. Children's physical development is well supported. They enjoy playing in the outside area, running, riding the wheeled toys and balancing carefully on the equipment. For example, staff encourage young children to walk across wooden planks and crates. Children relish the praise given by staff for their achievements. Children develop a good sense of their own safety.

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

• Staff are positive role models for children. They show interest in what children choose to do, respond to their emotional needs and get fully involved in their play. Children are seen running to members of staff for a friendly hug.
• Staff support children's mathematical development effectively. For instance, they encourage children to count objects as they play and point out different sizes and shapes in the environment. Staff sing number songs and rhymes to children. Children count securely and have a good understanding of shape and size.
• Celebrating the vast diversity of children lies at the heart of this nursery. Staff invite parents to share cultural traditions with children. Different nationalities are well represented through the choice of resources provided throughout the whole nursery. Children engage in a variety of learning experiences to develop their understanding of different cultural festivals. This helps them to understand what makes themselves and their friends unique.
• Staff know the children they look after well. They assess their development and know what they want the children to learn next. The curriculum reflects this and takes account of children's current interests. However, sometimes, staff miss opportunities to challenge children to extend their learning and ensure the ambitions of the curriculum are met.
• Staff support children's developing communication and language skills at every opportunity. They speak clearly and model good language. Children smile with delight as staff read them their favourite stories. Staff's enthusiasm and use of intonation really capture the children's attention. Children listen carefully and join in enthusiastically, finishing the sentences on each page. However, occasionally, when staff ask questions, they move on too quickly, asking further questions before children can consider what they want to say in response.
• There is a strong team spirit at the nursery. The staff team is qualified and experienced. The manager provides individual supervision meetings for staff to discuss their work and the children they care for. Staff have access to ongoing professional development. This helps to support their practice and children's learning needs. Staff say that they feel confident to approach the manager and feel that she values their mental health and well-being.
• The manager works with other professionals well. This ensures that children with identified delays in their learning receive support swiftly. Key persons implement strategies to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities reach their full potential in the setting. Children receive the support they need to make good progress.
• The manager and staff build strong partnerships with parents from the outset. They offer new parents the opportunity to attend sessions to settle their children in. Parents receive regular updates on their children's progress. Parents speak highly of the nursery. They say that the manager and staff are very supportive, warm and approachable. They help them to understand how they can extend their children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure the ambitions of the curriculum are met by providing children with more challenge to extend their learning to the highest levels
• build on staff's questioning techniques to allow children time to think and respond, helping them to express their own ideas.