Eldonians Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children truly receive an incredible start to their early education at this nursery. The unwavering dedication from leaders and staff ensures children are always at the very heart of everything they do.

Children's behaviour is impeccable. Babies patiently line up to take their turn using the slide. They follow instructions, such as no climbing up the slide, to help keep themselves and others safe.

Older children instinctively share and take turns with their friends without any adult support. They negotiate who has the most play dough, and who needs some more to make it fair. Children remember the well-embedded r...ules and boundaries and remind each other of their importance.

Staff expectations of what children can achieve are very high. Babies excitedly listen for the sound of the sea when they put seashells to their ear. They learn to copy new words, such as 'ridges', 'smooth' and 'bumpy', as they describe what they can feel.

Two-year-old children learn to predict and measure when filling a variety of vessels. They eagerly explore unusual tools and master new skills, such as using a syringe. Pre-school children explore different paint colours and use their problem-solving skills, to work out if they can make primary colours.

Children have excellent recall and succinctly build on their existing skills. They are incredibly well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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

Leaders plan a bespoke curriculum that is exciting, ambitious and flexible to meet children's unique needs.

Communication activities are expertly sequenced across the age groups to ensure children are consistently challenged and their skills extended. For instance, staff teach babies to listen and copy sounds and familiar single words. Two-year-old children learn to put words together, such as 'huge droplets' and form sentences.

Pre-school children hold complex conversations, using words, such as 'funnel' and 'experiment'. All children are articulate, confident communicators.Highly skilled staff implement the curriculum exceptionally well.

They have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of how children learn. Staff model new vocabulary using various intonations, to help children understand correct pronunciation. They ask open-ended questions, such as 'what do you notice', to help children exercise their thinking skills.

Children are motivated, active learners. They make unprecedented progress in their learning and development.Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a real strength at the nursery.

The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator is passionate and overwhelmingly dedicated to supporting children with SEND. Strategies to support children's care and learning are implemented from the very beginning. This means that children are already supported while waiting for professional input from outside.

Children make progress from their individual starting points swiftly. Additional funding is used wisely, and it is evident that the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged children is rapidly closing.Children's attention and concentration skills far exceed expectations for their age.

Very young children demonstrate persistence and resilience as they master how to screw and unscrew bottle tops. Older children patiently listen to their friends speak about their findings during problem-solving activities. They demonstrate respectful, sensitive interactions and a genuine desire to learn.

Children are very quickly developing the skills they need for later life.Promoting independence is seamlessly threaded throughout the nursery. Babies show excellent hand-to-eye coordination as they feed themselves using cutlery.

They relentlessly try to fasten their own bibs and confidently wash themselves after eating. Older children take ownership of their environment. They express the importance of cleaning painting equipment in preparation for the next group of children to use.

Children swiftly identify spillages in the playroom and seek a dustpan and brush to clear away the hazard. Children already possess many of the skills that will support their transition to school.Staff teach children about different family dynamics, cultures and beliefs beyond their own from a very early age.

Photo books that are unique to each child's family are used to explore children's individual home lives. Children learn about the different cultures, beliefs, celebrations and cuisines of their friends, in ways that are appropriate to their age. This helps to broaden children's understanding of the wider world and prepares them for life in modern Britain.

Leader's dedication to providing high-quality care and education for children and families is truly inspiring. They work tirelessly to ensure staff are trained and supported to offer a remarkable quality of education to children. Staff receive bespoke training packages, tailored to their individual needs and interests.

Role-play sessions help new and less experienced staff learn from well-qualified, experienced staff. This helps to ensure that children consistently receive the very best learning experiences.Partnership working with parents is very well thought-out.

Staff offer a lending library for the whole family to access and enjoy. They provide parents and children with home-learning packs that fit into their routines at home. For instance, mathematics activities to complete in the bath and money denomination activities for the supermarket.

This fits in well with children's home life and helps parents to extend learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders instil a culture of safeguarding across the nursery.

Robust recruitment procedures ensure that all staff members are suitable to work with children. Staff are confident in their understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse, including safeguarding issues prevalent within the community. They have access to a company whistle-blowing contact line and a senior safeguarding team.

Staff also understand how to refer beyond the senior leadership team if necessary. Children are actively taught to keep themselves safe. For instance, pre-school children use a 'choke tube' attached to their health and safety mascot to check the size of resources.