Merry Days

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff create a safe space for children to explore.

They get to know children extremely well and develop strong and nurturing bonds with children. All children feel valued and loved. This helps to promote their emotional security and happiness.

Staff closely consider the needs of disadvantaged children when planning their routines. They reinforce the golden rules to children in ways that they will understand. Children listen well to staff, who step in to provide extra support to children when they need reassurance or guidance.

Children behave well.Staff have high expectations of all children, including those wi...th special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They create precise targets for children to support them to reach their developmental milestones.

Staff teach children how to play with one another and support them to develop strong social skills. Children make good progress as they develop the confidence they need to explore the nursery. Staff teach children key life skills.

For example, children learn to cut up fruit at snack time. They wash their hands and fasten their own coats to go outside. Children demonstrate high levels of happiness, confidence and curiosity.

All children are well prepared for the next stage of their education, including school.

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

Leaders create a curriculum with a clear intent. They understand that some children's previous experiences are limited.

Staff meticulously identify gaps in children's learning. Leaders effectively share their vision for inclusive care and learning with all staff. Children have a wide range of experiences and learn to make choices and develop their own interests.

They become confident and curious learners, who take pride in their achievements.Staff teach all children the skills they need to take care of themselves. They spend additional time with children when supporting feeding or potty training, where required.

Staff create a culture of perseverance and determination within the nursery. All children make good progress.All staff have a good understanding of how to communicate with children.

They extend children's language by promoting talk within the nursery. Leaders recognise when children may need additional support to communicate and understand how to support these children using specialist strategies. However, these strategies are not always consistently implemented by all staff across the setting.

As a result, not all children develop communication skills to the highest-level.Children's social development is very well supported by staff. Staff teach children how to make friends with others and identify when children may need support to join in with activities.

They encourage children to share and take turns. Children make good friendships and are kind to each other.Parents are happy with the care that their children receive at the nursery.

They report that children develop good levels of independence and socialise well with others. Parents say that children learn how to count and know the letters of the alphabet. They say that staff are kind and approachable and help them to support their child's learning at home.

Leaders and staff identify when children may need help from external professionals. All children, including children with SEND, make progress towards their targets. Staff share information with parents about their child's next steps in their learning.

This helps children to reach their developmental milestones and close gaps quickly.Leaders complete regular supervisions of staff. They identify continuous professional development opportunities that consider the needs of all children.

For example, staff have recently completed training to support children's emotional development. This helps to update and maintain the knowledge and skills of all staff to continue to improve outcomes for children.Staff understand that it is important to celebrate each other's differences.

They teach children to respect one another and to consider each other's feelings. Children learn tolerance for people different to themselves. This helps children to develop an understanding of the world around them and diversity.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop further how staff consistently implement approaches to support all children, including child with SEND, to develop their communication skills to the highest level.