Little Acorns Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff know children's individual characters and have established good relationships with them. Children are extremely happy and enjoy the time which they spend with staff.

Staff are attentive and caring. Children feel a sense of belonging in a caring and inclusive environment. They confidently tell staff about their needs, likes and dislikes.

Staff are good role models and promote manners and respect for others. They consistently praise children for listening and for their achievements. Children's behaviour is exemplary.

They confidently remind one another of the rules and explain them to visitors. Children le...arn how to play cooperatively together and readily share resources with their friends. All children receive good support to gain communication skills.

Staff plan interesting activities for children. For instance, younger children pretend to be hairdressers with dolls and use water spray bottles. They learn new vocabulary as they share and follow instructions.

Older children are also confident communicators. They are inquisitive and contribute their ideas. Children learn to use binoculars and a microscope with staff and talk about the different insects.

Older and younger children interact happily while playing outside in the safe and well-resourced garden. All children make good progress from their starting points in learning. Staff provide children with good experiences at the nursery, and they are well prepared for their move on to school.

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

Staff plan activities that cover all areas of the early years curriculum and motivate children to have a go. They carry out regular observations and explain what they want children to learn next. However, at times, staff do not use their observations to plan precisely for children's next steps in learning during some group activities.

Most staff demonstrate high-quality teaching skills. They skilfully challenge children and incorporate their interests in drawing and writing into their play. For example, children engage in drawing a design for a house they build with soft bricks and write the number of bricks they will use.

Children are extremely involved in their self-chosen activities and highly motivated to learn. They listen intently to staff and to each other.Staff promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles.

They provide children with a range of well-balanced meals and snacks. Children develop good physical skills and learn about managing risks and keeping themselves safe. For example, from an early age, they learn to use a knife and fork.

Children benefit from a well-resourced indoor and outdoor space. They enjoy riding wheeled toys, climbing large apparatus and mixing soil and water to create 'soup'.Staff are skilled at promoting children's independence skills.

They encourage children to manage tasks for themselves, such as setting up the table for meals and clearing away afterwards. Staff support children to learn about the different faiths and cultures in the world. Children join in and enjoy learning about special days through dressing up, food, songs, stories and resources.

Staff work very well with parents and other professionals, such as local schools and teachers, to ensure consistency of care for children. Parents talk very highly of staff and praise the amount of information which they receive about their child's care routines and progress. Staff encourage parents to share their children's achievements from home.

Leaders evaluate the nursery and identify areas to improve and develop. This helps to improve outcomes for children. Leaders value the views of parents and staff in this process.

They have made significant changes in the garden. For example, staff have developed a musical wall and sensory areas to help children to investigate the natural world around them.Leaders monitor staff's practice regularly to ensure that the quality of education is good.

They use regular supervision sessions to help to continually raise the quality of staff's teaching and interactions with children. Staff have good access to ongoing professional development opportunities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff keep children safe and promote their welfare effectively. For example, leaders ensure that staff have accessed training in first aid and child protection. Staff understand the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about children's welfare.

They recognise the possible signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect. Staff are also confident in reporting any concerns they may have about other staff members. Staff recruitment is thorough and ensures that they are suitable to work with children.

Leaders and staff regularly check all areas of the nursery and the garden. They use equipment, such as anti-slip mats, gates and barriers to manage children's access to high-risk areas.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nuse what is known about children's next steps in development to plan more accurate group activities to extend their learning even further.