Anne’s House Childcare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children arrive happily and are keen to start their day. They are confident in exploring the environments, inside and outside. Overall, children have established friendships at the nursery, and many children play together cooperatively.

Children participate in activities, particularly when staff encourage them to join in. This helps them to access a range of activities and resources to support their learning. However, at times, when they are leading their own play, some children do not demonstrate a good understanding of how to behave and how to follow the rules within the nursery.

Staff do not complete the required progr...ess check for two-year-olds. Not all children, particularly toddlers and pre-school children, receive the challenge and support they need from staff to engage in purposeful play. Children confidently lead their own play and select what they would like to do and when.

Staff are guided by this and join in. Children enjoy the attention that they receive from staff. However, staff do not always build on children's emerging interests or exploration to extend their learning.

Staff communicate well with each other about what they are going to do next, to ensure that children are appropriately supervised. However, there are times when some children lack any interaction from staff because staff are busy managing routines, such as clearing away and nappy changing.

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

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have been working hard with the local authority early years team to improve.

The manager has supported staff to access additional training. This has had a particularly positive impact on children's safety and welfare. The curriculum staff provide for babies is a clear strength within the setting.

However, this is not consistent for toddlers and pre-school children.Staff know the children well and can discuss the progress children make. They know what they want children to learn next.

However, their delivery of the curriculum does not sufficiently challenge all children or ignite their interest and engagement to stay focused and benefit from the learning opportunities. For example, pre-school children explore a dinosaur-themed heavy-duty plastic tray. Staff sit near by and supervise this but give children minimal interaction to extend their critical thinking.

As a result, children became disengaged and move to another area of the room.Staff support babies' emotional well-being, offering praise and reassurance when they need it. They interact with babies warmly during care routines, such as meal and rest times.

However, some routines for toddlers and pre-school children are not as well managed. Children's play can often be interrupted by staff carrying out tasks such as washing hands or cleaning, and children can spend long periods of time waiting.Staff do not consistently help older children to manage their feelings and emotions positively or to understand how their behaviours impact on others.

For example, when conflicts occur between children, at times, this goes unnoticed by staff until the children's behaviour escalates. Children interrupt the play of others and can become aggressive towards their peers. Although staff tell children when their behaviour is inappropriate and intervene to keep children safe, they do not explain why the behaviour is unacceptable or help them to develop ways to regulate their feelings and behaviour.

Key persons carry out some useful observations. This helps them to plan and support the children's next steps. However, staff do not complete the required progress check for two-year-old children, meaning early identification of delays and gaps in learning can be missed.

This impacts on the level of support children receive.Most of the time, staff encourage children to follow hygienic practices, such as handwashing before eating. Older children use the toilet and know that they need to wash their hands when they have finished.

However, staff do not always ensure that the younger children learn to understand healthy practices in their play. For example, during sensory play with cornflakes, staff watch as toddlers eat cornflakes that have been played with by other children. Although staff tell the children to stop, children continue to eat them.

This increases the risk of illness for children.Parents are complimentary about the nursery. They praise the staff team and value the regular updates about their children's time at the nursery.

Parents are told about current events, and staff share photographs and observations with them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Management ensures that all staff have received training about safeguarding and child protection.

Staff understand the possible indicators of abuse and neglect and know the procedures to follow if there are concerns about a child. Staff know the whistle-blowing procedures and how to report any concerns about adults working with children. Key information about safeguarding is displayed.

Staff make effective use of risk assessment to provide children with a safe and secure environment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve staff coaching to help raise the quality of teaching to a consistently good standard 27/10/2023 ensure that the progress checks for children aged between two and three years are completed and shared with parents as required 27/10/2023 improve behaviour management strategies, with particular regard to the toddler and pre-school room, and ensure all staff implement them consistently to support all children's management of their emotions and understanding of the expectations for acceptable behaviour 27/10/2023 improve the organisation of daily routines so that children's learning experiences are consistently good and their needs are met.27/10/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the younger children's skills to help them understand the importance of good health during their play.