Aspire Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy, safe and settled at this nursery.

Staff have high expectations of children and follow children's individual interests when planning for their learning. Children are actively engaged in focused activities and progress well through the areas of learning. A well-established key-person system allows children to form strong bonds with staff.

This helps children to develop positive relationships and grow in confidence and independence. Children are respectful of each other and show positive behaviour. They listen attentively and respond well to instructions.

Children benefit from regular trips ou...t to the local park. Staff make full use of the space to promote children's physical development and understanding of the world. Children enjoy extra-curricular activities, such as 'teddy tennis', to help with coordination and teamwork.

Staff build on children's mathematical development across the age ranges. For example, children sing along with counting songs and listen to staff using mathematical language. Older children learn the value of number by counting their fingers and matching them with numbers and dots.

Staff encourage early reading across the nursery, including through regular visits to a local library. Children enjoy books and share stories together. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language by learning and using some keywords and working closely with families.

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

The nursery has doubled in size since the last inspection. The manager recognised the need to expand the management team and now works successfully with two deputy managers. Together, they regularly evaluate the service and strive for improvements to benefit children.

Staff feel valued and supported by the management team. They receive regular support, training and supervision to extend their knowledge and skills. However, there are occasions when less-experienced staff would benefit from even more consistent support to build on their practice and support individual children in their development.

Children access a well-balanced curriculum that supports all areas of their learning and builds on what they already know and can do. Staff closely monitor children's progress from the start. They are skilled to recognise when children require additional support and work well with the management team to arrange early intervention.

This helps children to progress from their starting points.Settling-in procedures are effective. All children, including babies, settle in quickly when they first start.

They learn to follow routines in the room. For example, babies engage in rhyme time and join in with actions. Staff skilfully use simple language with babies to support their early language development.

The management team and staff have reconstructed role-play areas following children's interests and to support their individual learning needs. This helps children, including toddlers, to use their imagination and build on their social skills and communication and language development.Well-qualified and experienced staff support pre-school children with learning letter sounds, when they are developmentally ready, in preparation for early reading.

Children engage in a range of activities, including arts and crafts, and develop good pencil control.Children enjoy learning and exploration. However, there are occasions, such as during mealtimes, where learning is not managed as well and children in some rooms are disengaged as they wait at the table for long lengths of time.

Children learn to accept each other's differences. They are kind to one another and behave well.Partnership with parents is strong.

Parents talk highly about the support and guidance they receive to progress their children's development. Staff encourage parents to share their children's learning from home. This helps to provide continuity in children's learning and development.

The management team and staff work well with outside professionals to support individual children in their development. They share information effectively and provide early intervention to help some children catch up with their peers.All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, make steady progress.

They are well prepared for a move to school when the time comes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are well deployed and supervise children effectively.

They carry out regular risk assessments to keep children safe. The management team has a robust procedure in place to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. The manager ensures that staff regularly receive safeguarding training.

She uses effective methods to test staff's understanding of how to protect children's welfare. All staff demonstrate a secure understanding of what to do should there be concerns about a child or a colleague's conduct.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: tailor even greater individual support and training for staff to enhance their practice and support for individual children review some daily routines, such as mealtimes, to reduce waiting time for children and maximise their learning.