Wonderland Children's Day Nursery (UK) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy, secure and have warm, nurturing relationships with their key person. Babies are very well cared for. Staff plan the environment to support babies in their early walking. Babies grasp low-level furniture and pull themselves up into a standing position. They practise walking and enjoy pushing wheeled toys. Babies sleep comfortably in a dedicated sleep room, with calm music and soothing lights. Staff celebrate their achievements very well. For example, when a baby finds her picture from the family tree display, she smiles and points, saying, 'mama'. Staff smile with delight and respond with 'you are so clever'.

Children are developing a love of reading. For example, babies enjoy looking at books with their key person. Staff skilfully bring the pages alive by using visual cues and animated voices. They ensure that older children participate in a variety of experiences during story retelling, so that they fully understand the stories. For example, children go on a physical bear hunt, using a range of natural materials, laminated story cards and figures to re-enact the story again. All children learn new language from songs and stories very well.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and progress. They support children to develop their confidence and self-control. Staff use positive reinforcement to manage children's behaviour. For example, they gently explain to children why some behaviour is not appropriate. All children make good progress in their learning.

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

• The new manager has provided strong leadership since the last inspection, to successfully address the issues raised. She is well supported by the provider and her experienced staff team, who have a clear sense of purpose and a shared ambition. The manager uses effective systems to monitor the breadth and quality of the curriculum.
• Staff plan activities that build on what children already know and can do. This broadens their cultural capital with rich experiences. For example, they take children on meaningful trips in the local community. They ride on trams, visit the police station and travel agents. Staff seize all opportunities to extend children's understanding of their community. For instance, they learn to know the difference between a 'double decker' and 'single decker' bus.
• Interactions between staff and children are positive, and staff place a strong focus on talking to children. Staff seize all opportunities with children to extend their mathematics or language development through their interactions. For example, while making play dough outside, staff use new descriptive words such as 'squishy' and 'sticky'. Staff support children's early mathematics by counting and measuring the ingredients for the play dough, discussing if they need 'more' or 'less'.
• Staff help children to learn about and respect differences. For instance, they teach children about special cultural or religious festivals, such as Diwali. Children have access to books and activities that represent different races and cultures. For example, to celebrate the festival of light, children made biscuits, dressed in bright outfits and engaged in ribbon dancing. Staff plan opportunities for children to engage in art activities to help them recognise other important celebrations, such as making poppies for Remembrance Day.
• Children are encouraged to become increasingly independent in managing their own self-care needs. For example, they wash and dry their own hands and know to put the paper towel in the bin. They are encouraged and supported to wipe their own noses from a very early age.
• At the start of the day, staff set up high-quality learning environments. However, staff do not always replenish the environment after lunch, to maintain the high-quality experiences available. Consequently, some activities become unorganised and untidy. This results in children losing engagement in highly effective play and learning.
• Parents speak very highly of the setting. They know their child's key person and speak fondly of the bond they have with their children. Children's learning is shared with parents during conversations and through an online app. However, there are times when parents are not always clear about their children's progress when using the app.
• Both the provider and manager value the staff team and provide effective support, ensuring staff have regular opportunities for training to continually improve their knowledge and practice. The manager carries out regular supervision sessions with staff members. This enables her to ensure that staff's well-being is discussed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further support parents in using the online app so that they fully understand what their children are learning and how they are progressing
• ensure that the high-quality learning opportunities available for children are replenished and attractive to children throughout the day in order to consistently entice them to learn in the best possible ways.