Polly’s Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children thrive and thoroughly enjoy their time at this nurturing nursery. Staff offer an inspiring range of activities that capture children's interests and help them develop a positive attitude to learning. Children are confident and keen to succeed.

For example, they take great delight in trying to attach pens to toy cars and driving them over the paper to see what happens. Staff guide them with excellent questions to help them think and problem solve as they work out the best way to attach the pens to the car. Children show great excitement when a remote control car makes marks on the paper unaided.

Young ch...ildren listen attentively to stories and take an active part in retelling them using props. Staff develop older children's imagination and storytelling experiences by providing interesting resources. For example, children act out the story of the 'Three Billy Goats Gruff' using a bridge with green water, grass and models of the characters from the story.

Children have extremely warm bonds with the staff and demonstrate that they feel exceptionally safe and secure. Staff have high expectations for the children and support them very well for their next steps in learning and their eventual move to school.

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

The highly motivated and dedicated staff work exceptionally well together to sustain the excellent quality of the provision.

The manager and owners are inspirational and they support the staff extremely well. There is a strong team ethos throughout the nursery. Staff talk about how well they are supported professionally and personally.

Staff obviously enjoy being with the children and working in the happy, caring and nurturing environment.Staff know the children in the nursery exceptionally well and treat them as unique individuals. During thorough settling-in processes, staff find out as much as possible about each child's needs and what they can already do before they start in the nursery.

Staff have an excellent knowledge of the curriculum and an exceptionally good understanding about how they can help children progress effectively. Staff make highly effective use of this knowledge and use precise and accurate planning to support individual children's needs and interests exceptionally well.Children develop exceptional communication and language skills as they play and interact with each other and the staff.

The staff model language extremely well and encourage children to take an active part in activities. Children thoroughly enjoy activities such as story mapping. For example, they sit engaged and enthralled as a member of staff helps children retell a story about the 'Three Billy Goats Gruff'.

She draws the story on a flip chart, as children recall what comes next and talk about the sizes of animals, the bridge, the colour of the grass, and how the animals are feeling.Staff are excellent role models and teach children fundamental life skills. Children are exceptionally well behaved and are polite and considerate towards others.

Staff's enthusiastic approach and excellent teaching practice result in all children showing high levels of engagement and motivation to learn.Children are supported exceptionally well in their well-being. Staff focus strongly on supporting children's emotional development throughout the nursery.

They are very caring towards all children. Key persons will stay with their key child for initial sessions during their move into the next room and share information about the child with the new key person. They visit other settings children attend to provide exemplary consistency of care.

Children enjoy the outdoor area, which is stimulating and exciting for them to explore. The area is organised well so all ages of children can move around freely. Children flourish as they enjoy developing their imagination in the outdoor kitchen, planting areas and playhouse.

Children also have excellent opportunities to explore different textures using the many natural resources available indoors.Partnerships with parents, carers, other professionals and providers are highly effective. Staff value all parents contributions, and include them highly effectively in their child's care and learning.

Staff work extremely closely with a range of professionals and early years settings to support children's learning. Parents are highly complimentary about the care provided and the progress their children make in the nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers and staff implement rigorous policies and procedures which are clearly displayed so staff know who to contact if they have any concerns. All staff have an excellent knowledge of safeguarding procedures. They are highly proactive in protecting children from harm and know exactly what to do if they have any concerns about a child's welfare.

The owner and manager ensure that staff keep up to date with regular training. They continually discuss child protection as a team to ensure all staff are clear about procedures and the wider aspects of safeguarding. Robust recruitment, induction, supervision and monitoring of staff ensure their ongoing suitability to work with children.