Working Mums Daycare & Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are calm, settled and happy at nursery. They arrive for their day ready to learn and are greeted by a friendly, welcoming staff team. Staff prepare interesting and challenging activities, overall. Children have fun and are fully engaged with the experiences on offer. Children are engrossed in messy play, art, role play and reading throughout the day. At times, children sit together to participate in adult-led activities like songs and rhyme time. Other times, children make independent choices about their play with appropriate engagement from staff.

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

• Children benefit from a rich curriculum in an environment that promotes learning through play. For example, babies enjoy climbing through tunnels and sliding down the slide as they build their physical confidence. In the pre-school, children explore the texture of paint thickened with flour as they explore their early writing skills.
• Leaders have reviewed planning systems to reduce paperwork. Staff say they like how planning revolves around individual children's next steps. This system is utilised effectively in the pre-school and toddler room, however, less so in the baby room. The deputy manager is providing additional support to this room to model and embed good practice and raise the overall quality of education.
• Staff are positive role models for children. They speak to children calmly and explain clearly what is expected of them. Children receive plenty of praise and encouragement and they beam with pride when staff acknowledge their achievements. When children are upset, they seek comfort from familiar staff who provide care and affection.
• Leaders promote equality and diversity in the setting. Staff explore similarities and differences with children through activities, books and discussion. Staff gather copious information about children before they start, and make adaptations if required. This ensures all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are settled and supported at the nursery.
• The nursery cook provides a range of healthy, nutritious meals and snacks, freshly prepared on site. Food preparation areas are kept scrupulously clean and maintained to a high standard. Staff encourage children to serve themselves, use cutlery and eat well. The cook adapts the menu to accommodate allergies, intolerances and preferences.
• Transition arrangements are a key strength in this nursery. Staff prepare children for their move into the next room by giving them plenty of opportunities to visit in advance. This builds children's confidence and helps them to settle into their new environment.
• Staff say there are a range of opportunities available to them through the nursery training and development offer. However, leaders acknowledge that staff do not always get enough guidance to tailor their professional development plan and continuously drive improvement.
• Parents comment that the communication methods used by the nursery are strong. They say that during a recent period of high staff turnover, their key persons kept them informed and updated about changes at the nursery. Parents say this gave them confidence in the leadership of the organisation.
• Although the nursery leaders are relatively new to their roles, they have a clear vision for the provision. They understand how children learn and how to support their learning and development. Staff feel valued and say they have confidence in the leadership team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to develop staff practice in the baby room to support planning for children's individual learning needs
• embed supervision arrangements to precisely identify areas where staff need further training and development.