Springfield Community Flat

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled in the caring environment staff create in the nursery. They separate from parents and are familiar with the routines, which help them move to the activities smoothly.

Children confidently self-register and use the emotions chart to express how they are feeling. Children are polite and caring towards their friends. They exercise patience, wait for their turn and share toys with their friends well.

Staff praise children for using the toilet and washing and drying their hands independently. All children join in and help to tidy up when adults sing the tidy-up song.Staff implement an ambitiou...s curriculum for children, overall.

Children are thrilled to make their own play dough, following instructions and some direction from staff. They enjoy using rolling pins to roll the dough and make pizza with healthy toppings. Staff promote children's understanding of healthy food.

They ask questions to check children's understanding, such as, 'Which vegetables will you choose for your topping?' and 'Is chocolate healthier than mushrooms?' Story time is thoroughly enjoyed by children. Staff encourage children to join in with repeated phrases and use actions for specific vocabulary. Outside, children develop their pouring skills, using different-sized bottles, and enjoy floating and sinking activities.

They discuss which objects are heavier and lighter confidently.Staff remind children about the rules and expectations, modelling good behaviour and conduct for the children. This helps children to behave well.

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

Staff support children well to develop their independence skills. Children learn to tie their shoelaces and put their coats on. They also use the nose wiping station and water station independently.

This helps to prepare children for school.Children use the visual timetable to understand what they will be learning next. This helps them to move from one activity to the next.

Circle time is used to remind children of the rules and expectations that staff have of children. Staff read books such as 'Hands Are Not for Hitting' and 'Teeth Are Not for Biting'. This supports children's understanding, and they learn how to behave and manage their feelings effectively.

Staff develop children's understanding of healthy eating and the importance of brushing their teeth. When eating snacks, children discuss the benefits of eating fruit and learn how it helps them to stay healthy. Children practise using a toothbrush to brush the doll's teeth, and adults discuss the importance of maintaining healthy teeth.

Staff plan activities to support children's gross motor development. Children enjoy completing obstacle courses. They learn to balance and use scooters and tricycles.

However, most children can ride the tricycles confidently and are ready to move on. Staff have not thought fully about how children can do this, to fully support the development of their physical skills.Staff provide a variety of activities for children to develop their fine motor skills.

Children enjoy using a range of resources and explore mark making.Children enjoy matching shapes. Staff encourage children to name the shapes and describe their properties.

Children are also reminded to count the number of shapes they have. For example, children say 'one, two, three, four, four square', to show the total number of squares they have. Children show delight when they complete the matching numerals puzzle and name the numerals one to five confidently.

Staff promote diversity and culture. They plan opportunities to learn and celebrate the cultures, festivals and beliefs of all staff and children that attend the nursery. Children enjoy cooking different cultural dishes and enjoy taking them home to share with their family.

Staff know their key children well. They understand how to assess effectively to identify what children can do and what they need to learn next. This information is shared with parents.

Staff plan their curriculum based on the children's current stage of development. Differentiated home learning packs are sent home for children to work on developing their skills and knowledge at home with their parents. These packs include reading books, reading records and notebooks for parents to write notes and communicate with staff.

Staff develop good partnership with parents. Parents speak positively about their child's learning and development. They value the feedback they receive from their child's key person.

The manager carries out staff supervision sessions monthly. She identifies gaps and areas of development in staff's practice. Coaching and mentoring are provided to staff by the manager.

A '10-minute meeting' with all staff helps to evaluate and reflect on the day. During this time, staff discuss safeguarding, health and safety, any injuries sustained by children and any first aid administered, and this is reviewed by the manager.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe. They are familiar with the systems and processes to follow if they have a concern about a child being at risk of harm. They know to report any concerns to the designated safeguarding lead.

All staff have completed mandatory safeguarding training, such as child protection and keeping children safe in education. The manager reviews and carries out a risk assessment of the nursery environment with staff daily to ensure the resources and indoor and outdoor environments are safe for children to learn and play in.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: think about the progression of children's physical skills and implement appropriate experiences to help them make good progress in their learning.

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