ABC Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children generally settle quickly and have good relationships with their friends and the staff who care for them. However, due to weaknesses in teaching practice, leaders and staff fail to plan and implement a well-designed curriculum.

Consequently, any learning children acquire is often incidental rather than purposeful. Furthermore, key persons and buddies will often refer to resources and activities rather than focusing on what children actually need to learn. Due to weaknesses in the quality of education, there is an impact on children's attitudes to learning.

At times, children's ability to maintain focus and concent...ration wanes. They often wander between resources and activities, which are not adapted to suit the ages and stages of development. As a result, children do not benefit from broad and balanced educational programmes.

This does not precisely identify what each child needs to help them make progress towards the next stages of learning.Nevertheless, children take great delight in spending long periods of time enjoying outdoor play. They engage in ball games and develop their physical skills through mark-making activities.

Children practise how to jump and balance as they splash in puddles, making bubbles. Staff teach children about the natural world and help them to grow their own tomatoes and herbs, which they then use in their play. Staff support children to find out about people and communities.

For example, they ask professionals, including firefighters and dentists, to visit. This contributes to children learning about life beyond the nursery. For example, after the visit from the dentist, staff provide activities and experiences to teach children about oral health and how to care for their teeth.

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

Leaders and managers self-evaluate the provision. They have aspiration for what they want children to achieve by the time they leave the nursery. However, this is not securely embedded in operational practice.

Leaders and managers are open and honest and recognise weaknesses in planning and the implementation of effective educational programmes. They are committed to making improvements. Leaders and managers are aware that the whole staff team still requires further training and support to develop teaching practice.

There is a trained and experienced special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) in place. The SENCo works with key persons to identify children with developmental delays. They look at strategies to offer support to help children feel safe and secure.

However, they do not act swiftly enough to seek guidance from external professionals to implement suggested interventions at the earliest opportunity. As a result, children continue to experience difficulties that cause barriers to learning.Leaders and managers do not have a sharp enough focus on staff supervision arrangements.

This does not ensure that staff have a robust understanding of how to fulfil every aspect of their roles and responsibilities. Leaders and managers do not accurately identify the professional development needs of the staff team. They do not set actions that precisely identify how staff can improve their personal effectiveness in early years practice.

Consequently, this has a direct impact on the quality of education being delivered to children.Staff are responsive to the children's care needs. They ensure that children dress suitably for wet weather play and respond quickly to remove soiled clothes so that children remain comfortable.

Staff promote opportunities for children to be independent and make their own choices. However, occasionally, this can be variable. There are times when staff can over-direct children and give them resources rather than allowing them to make their own decisions.

At other times, staff encourage children to self-serve their own lunch by using tongs to pick up spaghetti to put on their own plates. Despite these variations in practice, children remain happy and are not adversely impacted.Generally, children behave well, and any minor issues around sharing and turn taking are resolved with the support of staff.

Occasionally, this behaviour is repeated, and staff have to revisit discussions with children to support learning around negotiation. On the whole, children listen and respond well to this.Overall, parents are happy with the care provided at the nursery for their children.

At times, parents comment that they are not aware of the progress their children are making. Furthermore, they are not provided with regular suggestions about how to further support their children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The designated safeguarding lead is aware of her role and responsibilities. This includes ensuring that processes for child protection are in line with local procedures. These are shared with staff to ensure that the whole team is clear about the process to follow if a child is at risk of harm.

Staff complete child protection training. The manager ensures that they have secure knowledge of a variety of safeguarding issues, including radicalisation, county lines, and non-mobile baby bruising protocols. Staff recognise indicators that may suggest conduct issues with individuals who work with children.

They know how to report concerns to agencies with statutory responsibilities, including the local authority designated officer.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date plan and implement an effective curriculum with clear intentions that precisely identify the individual needs of children to contribute towards them making good progress 31/10/2023 ensure that intervention takes place at the earliest opportunity so that children who need extra help to catch up receive the support they need swiftly 18/09/2023 implement supervision arrangements that identify the professional development needs of staff, with particular regard to teaching practice, to improve their personal effectiveness.18/09/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop parent partnership arrangements further to ensure that parents have a clear understanding about the progress their children are making and how they can continue to support learning at home.