YMCA @ City Gateway Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery eager to greet their friends and start their day. Staff are very attentive. They offer comfort and reassurance to new children, who settle quickly. Babies are happy, settled and content. Staff provide plenty of praise and encouragement. Consequently, children have high levels of self-esteem. Children behave well. They show kindness towards each other. Children are keen to draw others into their play. For example, they allocate roles to each other during imaginative play. Children are provided with healthy meals and snacks throughout the day. They have plenty of opportunities to be physically active outdoors in the fresh air.

Children and babies develop a love of books. They listen intently to stories that staff read to them. Two-year-old children learn repetitive phrases and pre-school children predict what happens next. Children select books independently and share them with their friends. Staff support children to develop high levels of independence and 'can-do' attitudes. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those children who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points. Children demonstrate a positive attitude towards learning.

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

• The manager has devised a well-sequenced curriculum based on the seven areas of learning, with an emphasis on communication and language, physical development and social skills. Staff implement this effectively throughout the nursery.
• The manager and staff have high expectations of all children. Staff know the children well. They know what children need to learn next and their current interests. Staff provide an environment that is well organised with a wide variety of exciting and interesting activities and resources. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with other professionals to help children with SEND to make the progress they are capable of.
• The manager monitors children's progress. Where children need additional help, she ensures that they are provided with tailored support, including one-to-one sessions where needed. The manager deploys staff well to meet the different needs of the children attending.
• Staff take every opportunity to develop children's communication and language skills. They provide narrative as children play. Staff sing songs with babies. Staff use their good questioning skills to encourage older children to discuss stories, predict endings and to voice their ideas and opinions. However, at times in the toddler room, children are distracted from listening to and concentrating on adult-led activities due to other activities taking place in the same vicinity.
• Children's physical development is supported well. Outdoors, children enjoy high-energy play. They climb, balance and ride on wheeled toys. Indoors, children build obstacle courses. Staff encourage children to try again and again until they successfully complete the course. Children enjoy the praise they receive for their efforts and achievements and are delighted when they eventually succeed. Staff encourage children to manipulate dough using simple tools. This helps to enhance children's small-muscle skills. However, in the toddler room, staff do not always notice when quieter, less confident children need support to join in activities. Consequently, these children do not always have the opportunity to share their opinions and views or fully participate.
• Staff support children's mathematical development. Throughout the nursery, children learn to count, compare size and recognise shape and number. Staff skilfully adapt activities to take account of the age and abilities of the children taking part. For example, during role play, staff introduce simple fractions as children cut fruit and vegetables into halves and quarters.
• The manager supervises staff performance regularly and provides a focused programme of training which is linked to the current learning and development needs of the children. The well-being of staff is very important to the management team, and staff report they feel well supported.
• Staff manage behaviour effectively. They help children to learn to share and take turns from an early age. Children behave well. They are kind and considerate towards each other. Children are polite.
• The manager prioritises the safety of the children. She ensures that ratios of staff to children are maintained as required. Recruitment procedures are robust to ensure that staff working with children are deemed suitable to do so.
• Parents say that their children enjoy their time in the nursery. They comment on the good progress their children make, particularly in their language development and social skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve children's opportunities to listen and concentrate without distraction during adult-led activities
• focus more sharply on improving staff teaching skills, to ensure that quieter, less confident children have the opportunity to participate fully in activities and share their views and their opinions, in particular in the toddler room.