Woodend Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children make good progress, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff adapt their language to meet the varying needs of children. Staff use actions and words to provide children, who are at an earlier stage in their development, with a voice. Children communicate in a range of ways, such as pointing at a jigsaw to indicate a piece is missing. Staff respond verbally, saying where the piece is, to develop children's knowledge and understanding further.

Children are becoming confident. Staff encourage children to make choices. For example, younger children choose the next song to sing by selecting a stick puppet matched to the song. Older children develop their problem-solving skills, taking on board comments from staff. For example, when children explore water flowing through a hosepipe, a staff member helps by commenting that water runs downhill. Children consider this information to solve the problem as a team and put the water dispenser higher so water can flow through. Children also develop their resilience throughout, trying different ways to place the water dispenser higher. Children sustain their engagement well.

Children form positive relationships with staff and children seek staff for comfort when they are upset. Staff nurture children. For example, children settle well after nap times when staff cuddle and sing to them. Staff also support children's emotional development. They name children's feelings. For example, staff state when children are feeling tired and support them to sleep. Children respond positivity to their needs being met.

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

• Children develop their communication and language well. Staff comment, question and introduce new vocabulary. For example, staff introduce the word 'city' to older children when looking at a picture. Staff explain a city is made up of houses and buildings. Children understand new words well, supported by staff.
• Staff gather relevant information from parents and complete regular observations to monitor children's development. Staff use the information to identify any gaps in children's understanding. Leaders make referrals, with parents, to other professionals to ensure all children get the extra support they need to make good progress, including those children with SEND.
• Staff know children well and what they want them to learn. They build on children's knowledge, reflecting on their interests. For example, staff build on children's understanding and interest in aeroplanes. Children learn how aeroplanes fly and who is in charge of flying.
• Children follow clear instructions given by staff. For example, children follow a recipe to make play dough. Further to this, staff model good manners, which children copy. However, on occasion, staff do not consistently reinforce rules, such as by helping children to wait their turn when they are playing alongside one another.
• Children are becoming more independent through activities, such as watching staff complete day-to-day tasks. For example, staff model how to scrape left over food off their plates and wash their hands at lunchtime. Children copy, and do this by themselves.
• Children develop their physical skills well, indoors and outdoors. Staff support children to develop their large muscles, such as helping children to roll a tyre. Children also develop their smaller muscles. Staff model using tools to develop children's early writing skills. For example, they demonstrate painting and drawing lines, which children copy.
• Children develop their understanding of oral hygiene. They participate in daily teeth brushing and staff talk about the importance of oral hygiene. Additionally, leaders link with the local dentist to help to reinforce these messages.
• Leaders and staff maintain open and effective communication with parents. They keep parents fully informed about their children's daily experiences and developmental progress. This enables parents to continue their children's learning at home, if they wish to do so. Additionally, parents attend stay-and-play sessions, where staff share further information about children's learning.
• Leaders and staff are reflective. They work as a team to improve the care and education the setting offers. Leaders and managers provide appropriate support to staff based on their needs and experience to help them to continue to build on their practice. Staff use what they have learned from training well, when they are interacting with children. For example, staff learned about the benefits of water play for children's development, for example developing children's mathematical language using the language of capacity, such as full and empty, when they are playing in the water tray.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build staff's confidence in helping children to play cooperatively.