Wendy House Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children, and their families, receive a positive start to education through attending this nursery. Experienced staff know and care for children well. Close-knit relationships between staff and children are nurturing and warm. Staff provide well-tailored support to each child and their family. Children are designated a key worker swiftly. This, along with effective settling-in sessions, helps children to make good progress from the start.

Staff support the development of children's social and emotional skills from a young age effectively. Children of all ages get along impressively well together. With the support of staff, they are encouraged to learn from one another. Children are happy, confident and feel safe in their surroundings.

The nursery has aspirational learning goals for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children's progress is reviewed regularly. Their achievements are shared with parents, for example, through written reports and photos. Children's next steps in their learning are identified and updated effectively, as and when needed. This helps to support an effective key-worker system.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff sensitively help children to understand and follow the nursery's boundaries and routines. Children learn to be kind, to help one another and to show good manners. They are encouraged to say 'please' and 'thank you'. They are able to wait patiently, take turns and share, such as at snack times. Children's good behaviour, along with their positive attitudes to learning, prepares them well for school.

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

• Staff know children well. They skilfully adapt the planned curriculum to reflect children's varying ages and stages of development, as well as their current interests. For example, as children use spades, magnifying glasses and paintbrushes to dig and search for 'dinosaur bones' in sand, staff promote discussions around size and composition. Some children are able to use mathematical language in context, while others learn size-naming words and mimic those of others.
• The nursery has high expectations for children's development. Children's next steps of learning are identified and well planned for by their designated key worker. However, sometimes, when children are not learning alongside, or in the same room as, their key worker, other staff are unclear about children's next steps in learning. This limits children's ability to consistently make the best possible progress, particularly those with SEND.
• A strong focus is placed on developing children's language and communication skills. Children listen to stories attentively as a group. Props, along with the creative reading skills of staff, capture children's attention. Staff ask questions throughout the story, which helps to check children's knowledge and understanding, such as vocabulary. Children are supported to learn the features of storybooks, such as the author and illustrator. Children confidently state that 'illustrations' are within storybooks. Children's advanced speaking and listening skills help to prepare them well for learning at school.
• Overall, staff are on hand to offer support to children during times when children are free to choose what they play. Children enjoy activities such as manipulating play dough and undertaking role-play in home corners, 'cooking' pasta like 'fusilli and macaroni'. However, other duties of staff at more demanding times, such as nappy changing, staff breaks and while cooking meals, mean that children's play and learning are not supported consistently well by staff. At these times, some children become less engaged in purposeful play.
• Children are provided with good opportunities to develop their independence skills. At snack time, for example, children pour their own drinks of milk or water from jugs. They help to collect used cups and sweep the floor following mealtimes. Staff ensure children learn how to clean their own noses and hands, when needed. They are encouraged to put on their own coats when going to play outside and know to ask for support when needed. Children develop the skills and confidence they need for the next stage of their education.
• Parents are, rightly, happy with the care and quality of education their children receive. They are regularly kept well informed of their child's development. Staff work alongside parents to ensure that they are able to access additional support and funding where needed, such as for children with SEND and those with any additional care needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure children's next steps in learning are shared more effectively among staff so that children, particularly those with SEND, make more effective progress during times when they are not directly supported by their key worker
• ensure staff delegate the timing of tasks effectively during busy times to better support children's learning and behaviour during free-flow activities.