Westhill Corner Day Nursery - Tommies Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this setting. Staff develop very effective relationships with both the children and their families and know the children well. Children have access to varied and well-organised learning environments. Staff provide a natural and comforting atmosphere. Children enjoy accessing the stimulating outdoor learning environment. Staff teach children to understand their emotions, which helps to promote good behaviour across the setting. Children have a positive attitude towards their learning. Children's personal routines are addressed sensitively and appropriately. Any allergies or dietary requirements are checked thoroughly. Older children are encouraged to be independent. They clear their own plates and cutlery after lunch and attend to their own personal needs, such as getting a drink or blowing their nose.

Managers use a sequenced curriculum, and staff identify next steps for children's learning. Children make good progress. Staff respond to children's learning needs and provide appropriate opportunities. For example, staff have recently included more equipment to encourage physical development in the baby room. In the toddler room, staff enable children to develop their fine motor skills as they provide access to a play dough station and scissors in their provision. Children's communication skills are aided effectively through simple signing, which is used across the setting.

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

• Teaching is good at this setting. Staff adopt an effective planning and assessment system to ensure children's next steps in learning and interests are addressed. The curriculum encourages progression.
• Staff have a comprehensive understanding of child development. They focus the curriculum on particular children each week and monitor their learning closely. This information is shared with parents, who also add to the planned next steps. However, on occasion, staff are unclear about what it is exactly that they want children to gain and learn from certain activities. Therefore, there is scope to develop the curriculum knowledge of staff even further to fully embed excellent quality across the setting for all children at all times.
• Learning experiences are planned to expose children to new language and vocabulary. In the baby room, children explore sensory and texture play with frozen foods. They learn the names of items and words to describe textures.
• The setting promotes the development of communication and language through reading stories and singing songs. Each room has a wide range of books, and staff have implemented a lending library to encourage families to read together at home.
• Staff build on what children already know and add to their learning experiences.
• Recently, children went to the post office to buy stamps and send letters to Buckingham Palace.
• Parents are very happy with the service being provided and report that their children make great progress from their starting points. Staff offer advice and support to parents. For example, they have recently delivered workshops for parents on relevant topics relating to child development. Older children take it in turns to take a bear home, with details of an activity to do with their family that is linked to their learning.
• Children learn to recognise and talk about their own feelings and emotions. Staff use a specific story that children are familiar with and can discuss with adults. The setting adopts golden rules to reinforce positive behaviour, and staff use the language of these consistently throughout. Children respond well. During circle time, staff read affirmations to build children's confidence and self-esteem.
• The setting provides a nutritious, balanced menu and promotes healthy lifestyles. For example, staff take children outside to learn and offer healthy puddings, such as fruit or yoghurt. Children are learning about the importance of oral hygiene. Dietary cards for each of the children are used to ensure individual needs are being met.
• Staff identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and provide them with good support. This includes working on targeted individual support plans. However, staff do not routinely seek help from outside of the setting for children with SEND at the earliest opportunity. There is room for staff to strengthen collaboration with other professionals to further support children with SEND.
• The manager has a good oversight of the quality of provision. Staff have regular meetings to share ideas and discuss learning. The manager supports staff appropriately and understands the importance of their views. There is a plan for regular supportive conversations to discuss staff development. Staff also attend company-wide training opportunities to improve their practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's knowledge of the curriculum even further so that all learning activities have a clear intention for every child, to fully embed excellence across the setting
• develop arrangements for collaborative working with other professionals outside the setting to help positively impact the outcomes for all children.