Wooldale Early Care and Education Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have a wonderful time at Wooldale Day Nursery. They are greeted at the door by warm, friendly staff. Staff work well to meet the individual needs of children as they arrive and settle for the day. Babies are handled with great care and consideration as they separate from their parents into the care of the dedicated baby room team. Toddlers and pre-school children eagerly run to their playrooms to find their friends and explore the wide range of activities available to them. The relationships between staff and children are very positive, which helps children to feel safe.

Children enjoy being active outdoors. Babies playfully explore parachute games with staff and their giggles attract pre-school children who rush to see what they are doing. Three-year olds toss balls out of cones, shouting, 'It's high in the sky.', before chasing the ball and scooping it up. Four-year olds enjoy an exercise session where they pretend to be plants, growing from the ground and finish by making the tree yoga pose.

Staff have high expectations of children and, consequently, children's behaviour is very good. Positive interactions with staff contribute to children's learning, and support babies and children to understand and manage their own behaviour. All children, including the youngest babies, are learning to be kind to their friends. Staff support them with gentle reminders about sharing, waiting and taking turns.

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

• The manager spends time in each room and observes staff interacting with children. She uses her findings to enhance staff development, providing staff with purposeful feedback, which encourages them to become reflective practitioners. Staff comment they feel well supported by the manager.
• Parents speak very highly of the staff who care for their children. They particularly value the personal approach they receive, and the time given to support children to settle. They comment that they receive verbal feedback about their child's experiences each day and more detailed feedback about children's development through a secure online app.
• Staff help children to manage their own feelings and to regulate their own behaviour. An effective key-worker system is in place to support children's social and emotional development. All children, including babies, are encouraged to think about their behaviour and the impact this has on others. For instance, two-year olds show care for one another when they bump together as they play. They are keen to check in on their friend to make sure they are not hurt.
• Staff plan a rich and exciting curriculum that considers the learning needs of all children. For example, children are interested in first aid and have been finding out about x-ray images. Staff use books to help children understand the different jobs that doctors do, such as taking temperatures and x-raying broken bones. Children look at their own hands and teeth and compare them to x-ray images. They learn about how the chest expands when they breathe and they practise bandaging themselves and their friends.
• Staff encourage children to broaden their knowledge about things that interest them. Staff promote opportunities for children to discuss what they already know, supporting them to remember key vocabulary such as lava and magma, when they create a 'volcano' outside. Children are keen to show that they know how to make the 'volcano' erupt and are quick to list the ingredients they will need. However, staff sometimes over direct activities, this means children do not always have the opportunity to experiment and explore.
• Children are generally encouraged to be independent. They wash their own hands and older children manage their own toileting. At lunchtime children find their own place cards and all children, including babies, are supported to feed themselves. Staff eat with the children, they act as good role models, supporting children to develop good table manners. Children pour their own drinks and make choices about what they want to eat. Most children, serve their own meals. However, this is not consistent for all children, and some children miss the opportunity to independently serve their own lunch.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give children the time and opportunity to explore how to use toys and resources to their own satisfaction
• further develop children's independence skills by consistently allowing them to carry out tasks by themselves.