Woodleys Park Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children attending this nursery, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), show that they feel safe and have a sense of well-being. Children benefit from the staff's caring approach towards them. Staff gently settle babies to sleep and provide reassurance for those babies who need it. Children are excited to join in with the activities on offer to them. For example, pre-school children confidently speak about the drawings they are doing. Later, they join their friends who are busy using cardboard boxes and tape to make a 'boat'. This follows conversations children have about their recent holidays.

Staff help all children to join in with play. Two-year-old children become fully engaged in playing with pretend food. They listen to staff as they name the different foods, and children pour them all into a pot. Children laugh as they enthusiastically stir with a wooden spoon. Children rise to the challenges staff provide them with. Staff know the children well and plan effectively to help them move forward in their learning. For example, children with SEND have targeted support to make friends and play alongside others in the small 'STRIVE' group. Staff continue this support in the child's group room to help them develop the skills they are learning. The dedication from staff contributes to the rapid progress children make in their confidence and social skills.

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

• The company management team works effectively with the manager and staff. Staff's ongoing professional development and well-being are supported. Overall, this results in staff demonstrating a good understanding of how to engage and interact with the children. However, some staff are unclear about their own identified targets and areas where they need to improve their practice to ensure that the good standards of interaction and teaching remain consistently strong.
• Children with SEND are given every opportunity at this inclusive nursery. Staff have high expectations for the children's achievements. They work closely with parents to ensure that children receive a consistent approach and to widen the experiences children have at home. For example, they help children to learn to sit together at the table and use cutlery to eat their meals. The staff receive training in SEND, which helps them to quickly identify if children are not developing as expected so that additional support can be put in place. Staff focus highly on the two- and three-year-old children who were born during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the ways they do this is by using effective strategies to help them begin to recognise and manage their feelings.
• Children respond to the staff's clear explanations and reminders about the expectations for behaviour. Children listen when staff talk to them about being kind to their friends. Children with additional needs begin to understand the expectations through support from staff as they show them pictures to indicate what is happening now and what will happen next. Children play well together. They are learning to share and show respect and care to one another.
• Staff in all rooms actively promote children's independence skills. Children are encouraged to help themselves to drinking water, and they help to wash up the plates after snack time. Children choose the activities they want to take part in, and staff enable them to lead their own play. For example, when children explore numbers and small construction blocks, some are keen to add the large tweezers. Children challenge themselves to use the tweezers to pick up the blocks. Staff support children to do this and give them lots of praise for their efforts and achievements. This positive support contributes to children being confident to keep trying.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan activities so that they are appropriate and meaningful for all children taking part and fully promote their learning
• extend the monitoring of individual members of staff's professional development to promote a shared understanding of their own targets to continually enhance their practice.