YMCA Little Shoots Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and settle quickly, showing how safe and secure they feel at the nursery and with the caring staff. They are busy and engaged in their learning. They choose what they would like to do and focus well. For example, children use marker pens on ceramic tiles to write letters and draw pictures and then enjoy wiping these off to start again. Children play well together and happily take turns, for example when rolling a ball between them. They sit patiently during group activities, paying attention and listening to stories. Children confidently chat during their play. For example, they exclaim that the jelly is 'so sticky' when they put their hands in it.

Staff make effective use of observation and assessment to identify children's interests and what each child needs to do next. They incorporate this into their planning and their support for child-led play. Staff interact well with children and provide lots of praise and encouragement. They have high expectations for all children. Staff tailor support to ensure that every child, including those who need additional help, makes good progress from their individual starting point.

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

• Staff implement effective strategies to help children who need additional support with their communication and language skills. They use various specialist programmes, model accurate language to the children and work with other agencies. Staff also provide effective support for those children who are learning English as an additional language. This includes asking parents for key words in the child's home language and using these to help children settle and understand what is happening.
• Children develop independence skills. They wash their hands without assistance, help to tidy up and make independent choices about their play. They move around the nursery with confidence. For example, they decide whether to play indoors or outdoors. Children enjoy taking responsibility for jobs, such as putting out the plates at snack time.
• Children behave well. They respect one another's space as they crowd around an activity with jelly and then later sit to listen to a story. They willingly share resources and take turns. Staff remind children of rules, such as using their 'listening ears'. They provide a soothing approach to children who become frustrated, helping them to calm down and explain what the problem is.
• There is a strong focus on children's health. Children spend a lot of time outdoors in the fresh air where they can exercise and develop their fine- and gross-motor skills. This is particularly important for those children who do not have a garden at home. Children also grow produce which they have raised from seed, such as runner beans and tomatoes. Staff discuss with children what foods are good for them and have been working with parents to ensure that packed lunches are nutritious.
• Staff have strong partnerships with parents. They share information about their children's progress and help them seek appropriate support, such as signposting them to medical professionals if required. They provide resources, such as activity bags, to enable parents to support their children's learning at home. Staff also provide practical support for parents. For example, they run a 'swap and shop' where parents can get second-hand children's clothes.
• The manager is enthusiastic and keen to develop the provision further. She has already made changes, such as installing artificial grass to improve the outdoor play surface. She has also introduced 'in the moment' planning. Staff are still developing their skills in this area and, at times, do not extend children's learning as fully as possible.
• The manager and staff understand the importance of sequencing children's learning to ensure that children build the foundations they need before moving on to the next step in their learning. They remind children of previous experiences, such as when they collected blackberries in the garden, and then build on this by making a crumble. The manager and staff know what they want individual children to learn, although there is some lack of clarity about the overall curriculum.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's knowledge of the curriculum to ensure a more consistent and shared understanding of what children need to learn
• enhance monitoring and coaching of staff to further improve their teaching practice and support for children's learning.