Early Days Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children demonstrate that they are happy, confident and settled. They quickly form positive relationships and build secure attachments with their key person. Babies snuggle onto staff's laps and receive encouragement to lift flaps or point to items while they look at board books.

When babies are tired or upset, staff hold them close and gently comfort them. Children behave well and follow instructions. Staff demonstrate polite and courteous relationships towards the children.

This helps to provide a good model for children's behaviour. Children are encouraged to think about others, share and take turns. Staff have high... expectations for all children.

For example, they praise children's efforts when they have achieved a goal or persevered with a difficult or new task. This helps to build children's confidence in their abilities and reinforces their positive attitudes to learning.All children develop good physical skills.

For example, they learn about the different ways that they can move their bodies. Children confidently balance and climb on obstacles and equipment. They enjoy jumping and skipping and excitedly show the inspector how they can hit the ball with their tennis racket.

Children squeal with delight as staff encourage them to go outside with their umbrellas where they giggle and enjoy twirling around with them in the wind. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have adapted drop-off and collection arrangements to improve safety for both children and adults. The nursery has introduced additional ways to ensure that communication with parents continues to be effective.

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

Managers' intent for the curriculum is clear for all children. Overall, staff design a curriculum that builds on what children already know and use their interests to inform planning. However, at times, staff do not monitor some children's engagement in activities.

This means that children are occasionally not fully engaged in group activities and some opportunities to challenge and extend learning are lost.Staff regularly observe children as they play and make accurate assessments about their development. They use this information to carefully evaluate when children are ready for their next stage of learning.

The special educational needs coordinator helps staff to make plans to adapt the curriculum to meet the children's learning needs, while further assessments are undertaken.Overall, children benefit from stimulating activities that build on what they know and can do. For instance, children use their imagination and develop their communication and language skills as they venture on a 'bear hunt'.

They learn new words, such as 'squelching', 'squishy' and 'squashy', as they walk bare foot through grass and water.Staff support and develop children's love for, and interest in, literacy and books.Older children particularly enjoy activities where they can be involved in recalling the story.

Overall, staff provide children with activities to support their listening and attention skills. However, the organisation of some group activities are not always fully effective. For example, at times, when the noise levels increase, children are not able to hear and concentrate to the best of their abilities.

Children are encouraged to be independent, and staff support their health and well-being through daily routines. For instance, younger children and babies are supported to feed themselves. Older children serve themselves and cut up their own food using a knife and fork.

Children manage their own self-care skills. For example, they wash and dry their hands competently and discuss why it is important 'to keep germs away'.Staff receive regular supervision meetings to reflect on their practice.

They benefit from undertaking training to further develop their knowledge and skills. Managers support the team well. They provide regular times for staff to discuss their work and the children's care.

Parents speak very highly of staff and managers. Staff ensure that parents are kept informed and involved in their children's care and learning through a regular two-way exchange of information. The key person provides ideas of activities and resources for parents to take home.

This helps parents to build on their children's learning outside of the setting.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff understand their responsibility to safeguard children.

They know the signs and symptoms of abuse. Staff know the procedure to follow should they have concerns about a child or if an allegation is made against a member of staff. Staff conduct risk assessments and daily checks are made to ensure that the nursery remains secure and that all child-accessible areas are safe.

Staff deployment is effective, which enables them to supervise children well indoors and outside. The manager conducts ongoing vetting checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

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 organise group times more effectively to provide children with opportunities to listen and concentrate without distractions and be fully engaged in their learning monitor children's engagement in activities in order to offer them consistent challenge so that they make more rapid progress.