Wonderland Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this welcoming nursery. Staff are attentive to their care and spend time chatting and playing with them. This helps children to feel safe. Children feel comfortable in the familiar routines and confidently join in with the stimulating activities. They are curious and motivated learners. Babies develop their strength and coordination as they practise crawling, standing and walking. Toddlers become highly engaged in role-play games, which help them to express their ideas and feelings. Pre-school-age children develop their social skills as they play cooperatively together. For example, they use timers to ensure that everyone has a turn at using popular resources.

Staff have high expectations for children. They offer a well-sequenced curriculum and ensure that children have continuous access to a range of familiar resources. Therefore, children consistently practise what they know and build on their previous learning. Children have lots of opportunities to listen to and engage with stories. For example, staff provide 'story bags' with props that enable children to recall and retell their favourite stories. This supports children's early literacy. Children develop a good understanding of the world around them through real-life experiences, such as growing sunflowers and seeing tadpoles develop into frogs.

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

• The manager has created an ambitious curriculum based on the needs of the children. For example, there is an emphasis on supporting children's social interactions because some children missed out on socialising during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Therefore, children are well supported and make good progress in all areas of their development.
• Staff work well together and share relevant information. This supports smooth transitions for children moving from different rooms in the nursery. There are strong systems to help support children who need extra help, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For instance, staff provide focused group sessions that help children to build on their attention and listening skills.
• Children develop their communication and language skills well. For example, babies practise their speech sounds as they participate in nursery rhymes and staff introduce new vocabulary to children as they play. Staff engage in conversations with older children to extend their language and develop their thinking skills. Consequently, children become confident and effective communicators.
• Staff plan activities that excite and engage children and that have a clear focus for learning. However, they do not always identify spontaneous learning opportunities or adapt their teaching to support children's emerging skills and interests. Therefore, children do not always learn as much as they could from the activities.
• Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They become independent and develop a good range of skills in preparation for starting school. For example, children hang up their coats and register themselves on arrival at nursery. They learn to pour their own drinks and scrape their plates after meals.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to be active, including daily outdoor play. They practise a range of physical skills. For example, they learn to balance, climb and throw. They enjoy healthy meals and snacks throughout the day. This helps children to make positive choices about their physical health as they grow.
• Staff value children's unique backgrounds and ensure that these are reflected in the setting. For instance, they celebrate the important events in children's lives and observe a wide range of cultural events throughout the year. This helps to build children's awareness of other people and communities to prepare them for life in modern Britain.
• Staff say that they enjoy working at the nursery and feel well supported by the manager. They have regular supervision sessions and meetings to support their professional development and discuss their well-being. Staff training is well focused to benefit children. For example, staff have attended training to help them support children with SEND.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength. Staff encourage parents to be involved in their children's education by attending events in the setting and doing activities with them at home. Parents describe how the staff provide individualised care and learning to support their children's needs. Therefore, children settle well and make good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to identify spontaneous learning opportunities for children and adapt their teaching effectively to support children's emerging skills and interests.