Whitehouse Day Nursery (Oakwood)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and eager to learn in this nurturing environment. They are confident and demonstrate a sense of belonging. For instance, when children arrive, they look for their names for self-registration. Furthermore, family photographs are displayed to show children who are special to them. Children are engaged in their play and develop positive relationships with their peers and staff. For example, three-year-old children play cooperatively together in the role-play area. They talk about the sequence of washing the pots in the play kitchen. They remember to stack plates with the largest on the bottom, so they do not topple over.

Children develop their physical skills through a range of stimulating experiences. They spend time in the outdoor areas, where they build their core strength and agility. Babies who are starting to toddle are provided with walking aids. They excitedly push them along, with careful encouragement from the staff. Two-year-old children take part in 'dough disco'. They follow the direction of staff, using their small-muscle skills to roll and squish play dough. Children eagerly roll the play dough fast and slow between their hands to create wiggly worms. They then pretend to be crocodiles, clapping their hands together to flatten the dough. This helps children to develop hand-to-eye coordination and strengthens their finger muscles.

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

• Staff are good role models and have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children are kind and respectful towards each other. For example, pre-school children willingly share the resources and take turns during group activities. Younger children seek out their friends to share stories and help them to pick up resources.
• Parents have lots of positive things to say about the nursery. They comment that families are made to feel welcome and staff adopt a personalised approach, encouraging their child's personality to shine. Parents appreciate that staff share information to keep them up to date with their child's progress. They can borrow resources and books from the nursery library to help support children's learning at home and to foster their love of books.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is excellent. The special educational needs coordinators are well trained and knowledgeable in their roles. Staff work in partnership with external agencies and parents to implement targeted learning plans. This helps children to make good progress from their starting points.
• Leaders have a clear ambition for the nursery. They hold regular supervision meetings with staff to support their professional development and check on their well-being. Staff comment that they feel valued and have manageable workloads. They independently research relevant subjects and access training to extend their knowledge. Staff use these new skills to improve outcomes for children.
• Children are starting to learn the importance of healthy lifestyles and good oral hygiene through the curriculum. Staff have developed links with a local dentist and share information with parents. They support children to manage their personal needs. For example, children independently use the toilet and wash their hands.
• Overall, the staff support children's communication and language well. They talk to children as they play and aim to help them build a wide vocabulary. For example, pre-school children take part in a 'story tins' session. Each child takes a turn to use their imagination to tell a part of the story. The other children use their listening and attention skills to help extend the story even further. That said, there are a small number of children who sometimes find the busy rooms overwhelming. For these children, staff have been less proactive in finding a method of helping them to be even more confident communicators.
• Staff skilfully weave mathematics into children's play through their interests. For example, children show an interest in dinosaurs. They play hide and seek with them in the sand. Staff and children count to 10 and search for the hidden dinosaurs. Staff extend their learning by comparing their sizes. Children line them up to discover which is the tallest and which is the smallest.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consistently deliver a curriculum that supports all children to be even more confident communicators.