Early Days Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children from all backgrounds settle well.

Prior to starting, they attend 'stay and play sessions' with their parents to establish early relationships with staff and peers. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Children who speak English as an additional language benefit from hearing keywords in their home language to encourage their participation in activities.

Additionally, staff invite parents into the setting to help support aspects of the routine which new children find difficult, such as mornings, and lunchtimes. This shows a collaborative approach in meeting children's individual needs. Children benefit f...rom attentive staff, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

For example, when children's emotions escalate, staff blow bubbles to positively calm them. This helps children to regain focus in their learning.Children enjoy sharing experiences with others.

For instance, babies initiate a game of passing the play dough back and forth, and they assist their peers with their bedding as they wake up. They happily play together in a carefully designed, natural play environment to help them to self-regulate their emotions and promote good behaviour. For instance, pre-school children independently practise their breathing techniques in a calm area, aided by low lighting, natural resources and plants.

Staff have high expectations of children's personal development. They encourage children to shout, 'we are fantastic'. This enhances children's well-being and self-confidence ready for the day ahead.

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

In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been significant changes in the staff team. Therefore, the manager priorities continuous professional development to support consistency in teaching. Staff say they feel fully supported by the manager and they know her 'door is always open to them'.

Staff know children well. They demonstrate a secure understanding of what they intend children to learn. Staff say they 'take a step back and observe children's experiences.'

This helps them to evaluate the effectiveness of planning, teaching, and learning. For example, staff identify children's increasing energy levels, therefore they introduce steppingstones into the indoor environment. This is one way that encourages children to release their physical energy through jumping and balancing.

Children make good progress in their fine-motor skills. They develop muscle control as they make marks on paper, alongside exercising their gross motor movements through dance. Babies develop early manipulating skills as they explore the previously grown herbs, lemons and peppers at the 'play dough station.'

This contributes towards children developing the skills needed for future writing.Overall, children's behaviour is good, and they benefit from a consistent routine. However, staff do not always model a consistent approach in supporting children's behaviour in line with the manager's behaviour management expectations.

This does not help children to fully understand what is expected of them.The manager is one of two special educational needs coordinators (SENCo) at the setting. Together they support staff to identify those children with potential language difficulties, through training, screening and intervention.

For example, they plan daily experiences which focus on children's communication and language skills. However, staff do not always support children in the best way possible, for example in terms of giving children sufficient time to think and talk. This does not help to bridge the communication gap among peers.

Stories and songs play an integral part in children's learning. For example, pre-school children recite stories word for word, and they use actions to underpin the meaning. Younger children with limited language model the actions to a familiar rhyme, in the absence of the song, without prompt, they take pleasure in pointing to the ceiling, then to the floor, followed by the window and the door.

This shows existing knowledge of literature explored.Parent partnership is remarkable and worthy of sharing. For example, the manager sends emails to parents stating, 'your voice matters'.

This is evident in practice. For instance, staff constantly analyse ways to break down barriers with parents, such as an active social media page which guides and empowers them. Parents share an overwhelming response through copious letters of appreciation, thank you cards which highlight staff and manager dedication, and they praise the team for their unflinching support.

Staff foster good relationships with other professionals to effectively assess and support children's outcomes. For example, children who attend the after-school club benefit from staff sharing information with schoolteachers to extend learning. Staff record children's experiences in a 'scrap book', which they share with children to spark future interests.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager is extremely passionate about safeguarding and child protection which she installs in her team to ensure children's welfare is at the forefront of all decisions made. Staff display consistently strong knowledge of the different types of abuse, and they are confident to follow procedures should they have concerns about a child's welfare, including whistle-blowing procedures.

They work effectively with staff at the local schools and use relevant assessment tools to support families. Staff have a strong awareness of local safeguarding issues which heighten the risk of child abuse and neglect, such as domestic violence, mental health, and alcohol and drug misuse.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to provide a more consistent approach to behaviour management to help children gain a better understanding of what is expected of them develop teaching through professional development to help staff to support further children's communication and language development.