Wokingham Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and managers have a clear vision for the early years curriculum they provide to enable all children to gain the key skills they need to move on to school. They give priority to ensuring that children gain emotional stability when they start at the setting. Staff conduct home visits, where they meet the child and their parents. During the visit, they gather important information to provide tailor-made care for the children when they start nursery.

Children's physical development is well supported. For example, staff help them to balance on beams in the garden. Children enjoy dancing to music and following simple action rhymes. They strengthen their hand muscles during the daily routine, using tongs to carefully lift the fruit from the bowl at snack time, and they learn to chop vegetables in the home corner.

Staff encourage children to become independent, in readiness for school. Children wash their hands before lunch and take their lunch box to the table. They are encouraged to put on their shoes following the music and dance session and choose what and where they want to play. Children behave well. From an early age, they learn to take turns, share and play with their friends. They learn to care for their environment and help to tidy up the toys.

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

• Staff have a secure understanding of keeping children safe. They complete regular risk assessments, including head counts, to ensure they account for all children when moving from outside to inside. Staff are vigilant during toileting and nappy changing, ensuring that children are well supervised. Effective recruitment procedures are followed when employing staff who work with the children. Visitors and volunteers are never left unsupervised with children. Staff implement rigorous procedures regarding the security of the front door, to ensure the safety of all children.
• Staff use children's interests to lead their planning and provide a varied curriculum across all areas of learning. Staff generally implement the curriculum well. However, on occasion, there is a lack of clarity around exactly what they want children to gain from the planned activities. At these times, although children thoroughly enjoy taking part in activities, their learning is not targeted as precisely as intended. During the daily routine, staff provide focused learning to target their key children's individual development needs. Additional funding is used well, to extend the number of sessions children attend.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported. For example, staff adapt the environment and the activities to ensure that all children can access them.
• They use key words in children's home language to communicate with them, particularly when they settle. Staff provide lots of cuddles for new children, to reassure them and develop their trust, and they help them to play independently.
• Staff consistently promote children's communication and language skills. They successfully encourage children to gain a love of books. Staff read stories to children and sing songs throughout the day. They use prompts and simple actions, enabling even the youngest children to take part. Children's learning is extended further through art and craft activities. For example, they paint pictures of their favourite book characters. Children show their excitement when they retell the story of 'The Gruffalo'.
• Children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. Staff encourage them to count and recognise numbers during their play. For example, children dig for numbered bumble bees in the sand and use mathematical language, such as 'heavy' and 'light', when using blocks. They learn how to put numbers in the correct order and measure ingredients when making play dough. Staff teach children to speak about their emotions, using books such as 'The Colour Monster' to support their learning.
• Parents confirm that they are happy with the nursery provision. They have positive relationships and comment, 'The staff are loving and caring; they let the children lead the way in their learning.' Parents enjoy participating in the events organised by the leadership and management team, such as fundraising for the nursery. They confirm, 'It makes the nursery feel like a real part of the community.'

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the procedures for monitoring how well staff implement the curriculum, to sharpen the focus on the intent for children's learning.