Wonderland Daycare Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are warm and caring at this welcoming nursery. They gather detailed information about children on entry which helps staff to get to know children well. Babies and children who are new are comforted soothingly by staff. Children are encouraged to make choices and staff listen to these. Older children learn to play cooperatively with staff support. For example, children pretend to be teachers at school and write letters on a board. Staff join in the play, pretending to be in the class. They guide children to encourage all their friends to answer questions.

Children benefit from the play-based approach across the nursery. They behave well and explore with confidence, becoming more sociable as they grow through the nursery. Staff help babies to develop very early communication skills. Babies and staff pass toys back and forth to each other and babies babble. Staff acknowledge these early communications with warm, positive responses. The babies confidently explore. They practise toddling and climbing over equipment to gain confidence in their movements as they learn to balance. Staff play football with older children. They encourage children to have a go at kicking balls and scoring goals. This physical play supports children's overall coordination and motivation to be healthy.

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

• Managers have created a positive team atmosphere. Staff report they receive good support to develop in their roles and can talk openly to managers if they have any concerns. Staff are keen to learn and, as a result, undertake training courses and gain qualifications. This helps staff focus on improving what they do for children during their everyday work.
• The curriculum has a clear focus on children learning the key skills to prepare them for the next stage in their education. Staff plan an environment that helps children learn, focusing on their individual needs. However, they do not always sharply focus their interactions with children to extend children's learning to the highest level.
• Children demonstrate a sense of belonging at the nursery. They develop their independence and become involved in the routines of the nursery. Children pour their own drinks and make choices in their play. However, at times, daily routines are not always well planned and children are not always given sufficient time to refine and learn skills. For example, staff encourage children to learn to cut their fruit but do not plan this well enough so all children can have a go. Therefore, children eat the food before having the opportunities to try to cut the fruit themselves.
• Staff manage children's health well. The nursery provides freshly cooked, nutritious meals and caters for children's individual dietary needs. Staff work well with parents to ensure babies' routines of sleep and eating reflect those at home. This helps to give young children continuity of care and a feeling of security.
• Children enjoy using their imaginations at the nursery. They dress up as superheroes and pretend to save their friends. They use 'small world' figures and cars to create dramatic storylines. This helps them think about what might happen in a range of situations.
• Staff help embed mathematical concepts as children play. When they are filling and emptying buckets, staff use the words 'full' and 'empty'. This helps children to gain a meaningful understanding of what these words mean. As children line up to go outside, staff help them to count accurately.
• Staff quickly identify children who may be behind age-related expectations. They work with parents and professionals to help children make better progress. Managers and staff carefully consider the use of additional funding to benefit the differing needs of these children effectively.
• Parents are very happy with the care and education their children receive. They enjoy the detailed communication which informs them about what their children are doing at nursery. They work together with staff to help children make progress in their learning, such as learning to dress themselves or use the toilet.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff deepen their understanding of high-quality interactions and use this to extend children's learning to the highest level
• review the organisation of routines so that staff provide more opportunities to strengthen and enhance children's learning.