Washway Road Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery happy and separate from their parents with ease. Staff are loving and caring towards children's emotional needs, and provide children with support to make them feel safe and secure.

Staff are positive role models. They treat children with respect and value their views and choices. Children follow instructions and routines well, and confidently engage in play with their friends. Children display good manners and their behaviour and listening skills are very good.

Children are eager to explore the purposefully planned and stimulating environment. Younger children develop their small muscles as they scoop up water, carefully separate petals with their fingers, and press and crunch cereal. Toddlers sit contently as they listen to a story. They are helped to build their speaking skills as staff pause and children fill in the missing words. Older children squeeze, pat and prod soil as they fill up pots. They gather around and talk about planting seeds and the need for water and sunshine to make them grow. Children practise their mark-making skills as they chalk on the floor and create pictures and patterns on paper. They explore shapes and show great delight in their achievements as they proudly identify a 'hexagon' and 'pentagon' and learn about symmetry.

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

• The manager is dedicated and has a clear vision for providing a happy and stimulating nursery for children to learn, develop and grow. She confidently talks about things that her and the team do well and identifies future developments. Staff say that they feel well supported and attend regular meetings to discuss their training needs and roles and responsibilities. This results in staff feeling happy and highly motivated in helping children to achieve the best learning outcomes.
• A well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum is in place. Staff know what children can do, and what they need to do to support children in their future learning. They have a good understanding of children's development and build on the skills that children need in readiness for transitions, such as moving in to the next room in the nursery and in preparation for starting school. Children are making good progress.
• Overall, children of all ages are inquisitive, enjoy exploring and show great curiosity. Older children ask 'why' and 'how' questions and generally are eager to learn more. However, some staff do not respond and adapt activities to further support children's interests and ideas that arise as they play. This results in children losing focus quickly.
• Promoting children's independence is a key area of focus throughout the nursery. For instance, babies make choices and freely explore what they want to play with. Toddlers rise to the challenge of putting on their socks. Older children develop skills, such as using knives and forks with great control and carrying out their own personal needs. This supports children's good progress in their self-care skills.
• Parents are very complimentary about the manager and the staff. They feel confident that their children are in safe and caring hands. Staff continually share information with parents throughout the day via messages, pictures and videos of their children's day. Furthermore, parents are asked to keep staff up to date of things that their children do at home. Staff take this information and incorporate it in planned activities and experiences. This helps to extend children's interests and learning further.
• Children enjoy trips out in the local community. For example, older children have taken part in a mini marathon in the local park and visit nursing homes. Children learn about recycling clothes and have been involved in setting up a nursery 'swop shop'. Parents attend the nursery and talk to children about their job roles, such as a dentist. As a result, children are gaining a greater understanding of the world around them and learn about the importance of leading an active and healthy lifestyle.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve staff's understanding of how to respond and adapt in the moment, so that they provide teaching that allows children to develop their own ideas and extend their learning.