Welbourn Gardens Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle very quickly, especially if they are upset when they arrive. Children show positive relationships with staff and enjoy playing alongside them. They confidently talk to visitors and show them the artwork they create for their parents. Children learn how to share and take turns with their friends, for example when they play board games. Children are independent in managing their self-care. They pour their own drinks and serve themselves food at mealtimes.

Children learn new skills, such as how to roll play dough flat and use cutters to make shapes with the dough. They are encouraged to make links with what they play with and familiar stories. For example, when younger children use play dough to make a shape of a person, staff say, 'You can't catch me, I'm the...', and children finish the sentence with, 'Gingerbread man'. Older children are excited to recall full phrases in favourite books and listen well when staff read stories with animation in their voice. Children develop their understanding of different occupations. For example, they show their imagination when they wear dressing-up costumes and pretend to be police officers. Additional funding that children receive is spent effectively, for example to purchase books and games to encourage their speaking skills.

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

• Staff know the children well and support their emotional well-being effectively. For example, they invite children to attend a minimum of three settling-in sessions prior to starting. Staff ensure that children's belongings that give them comfort are readily available, such as blankets or drinks containers. This helps children to feel safe and secure.
• The manager is aware that since the COVID-19 pandemic, children need support with their communication and language skills. Staff complete training courses to help develop their knowledge of how to support children's speaking skills. They sing nursery rhymes and read stories to children. Staff use simple words when they play alongside younger children. This helps to prepare children for future learning.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their mathematical skills. Children count the number of dots on a dice and match the number to a written number when they play games. Staff introduce children to language that describes size. For example, when children ask for envelopes, they show and explain to them that the envelopes are small, medium and big.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by staff. They are given experiences that enable them to follow their interests. One example of this is when staff provide children with different paper, such as sand, tissue and corrugated paper, when they like to rip and shred. Staff work closely with other professionals to put targets in place to support children's individual needs.
• The manager encourages staff to extend their professional development. For instance, recent relevant training helps staff to develop their understanding of how to support children's oral health. They provide activities to help children learn how to clean their teeth. If parents struggle to find a dentist for their child, the manager will signpost them to available ones. Staff encourage parents to provide water in their children's drinking containers.
• Staff talk to children about the rules and boundaries in the nursery. This helps them to begin to understand what is expected of them. Children say that they use their 'walking feet' so they do not bump heads with others. However, occasionally, during planned group times, when staff ask older children questions, they do not support them to take turns in conversations and to listen to the views of others.
• The daily routines in the nursery generally run efficiently. For example, when staff shake a tambourine, children are quick to say 'five more minutes' and 'tidy up time' when they shake it again. However, occasionally, staff do not recognise when older children become restless after tidy up time. Children have to wait for staff to set tables for lunch, and during this time, not all children are suitably engaged.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to encourage older children to take turns in conversations and to listen to the views of others during planned activities
• develop staff's understanding of how to organise some parts of the daily routine to ensure that older children are suitably engaged.