Whitstable Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have great fun attending this calm, home-from-home nursery. Staff have developed secure bonds with children, who feel comfortable in their environment. Babies and toddlers show high levels of enjoyment. They smile and clap their hands as staff sing their favourite songs and rhymes. Pre-school children display high levels of confidence as they engage in regular conversations with staff and their friends. Children are exposed to a language-rich environment.

Children have plenty of opportunities to become independent learners. Staff have created an inviting environment that encourages children to follow their interests. For example, pre-school children show a particular interest in making a wormery. Staff respond by providing a step-by-step guide as children complete the task for themselves. Children use sand, soil and leaves and talk about making 'air holes'. Babies and toddlers enjoy the sensory experience of exploring different ways to break ice, which encourages them to be curious in their play and learning.

Children love the freedom of being outdoors in the fresh air. They enjoy climbing and sliding on the outdoor equipment. Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their physical strength and coordination. For example, children show good control as they balance on tyres.

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

• Staff are good role models. There are lots of sociable times during the day between staff and children. For example, they all sit together for snack and lunch. This helps children to build on their social interactions and embeds a consistent routine. Staff regularly encourage pre-school children to think about their actions. For example, children are reminded to keep themselves safe when using scissors. Staff talk about how to hold the scissors safely when children have finished.
• Staff know the children very well and talk confidently about their levels of progress. Staff interact positively with children to engage them and extend their learning. For example, as younger children play with toy trains, staff help them to build a track. However, during group activities, staff sometimes focus their teaching on the more confident children. They do not always recognise when children who are less confident would benefit from further support to develop the confidence to willingly share their ideas.
• Staff place importance on children's individual cultures, traditions and home languages. They work closely with parents, who provide a variety of words from their home language to incorporate into the nursery. This helps children who are bilingual or speak English as an additional language to make connections and improves their understanding of spoken English.
• Staff support children to develop their independence. For example, toddlers are encouraged to try and put their coats on by themselves. Staff recognise and provide support when needed. Pre-school children have opportunities to serve themselves at mealtimes. For example, at lunchtime, children wait patiently for their friends to finish before they self-serve their food.
• Staff use effective questioning techniques with pre-school children. They ask children to think about what might happen next. This helps to embed children's knowledge and allows staff to find out what children already know. However, staff working with the youngest children ask many questions at once before giving them time to respond. Therefore, at these times, babies and toddlers do not have enough time to process and understand what is being asked of them.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those whose development is being monitored are supported well. Staff work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that children with SEND receive the support they need. Children with SEND make good progress.
• Parents speak highly of all staff. They comment on their 'trusting' relationships with the 'nurturing' staff. Staff work closely with parents to ensure that children settle in well. This supports children's emotional well-being and reflects a positive partnership with parents.
• The manager has good support systems in place for staff. She provides feedback and coaching to support their practice and provides regular supervision sessions to identify potential areas of training. As a result, staff morale is high, and they feel well supported in their roles. This results in a good level of staff retention.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff more closely in adapting group activities to ensure that all children, particularly quieter children, are able to fully engage and benefit from the learning opportunities
• help staff to develop the youngest children's communication and language skills even further by giving them more time to process language and respond to simple questions.