Tendercubs Preschool and Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children develop strong relationships with staff and other children. They settle in quickly, demonstrating that they feel secure and safe.

Staff use lots of language to develop children's speech. They introduce key words to the babies, as they explain what they are doing. For example, babies learn to mix the spaghetti in the water tray and explore the different textures.

Older children enjoy repeating key phrases in stories and babies copy actions they have observed when singing songs and rhymes. There is a good range of activities provided for the children, both indoors and outdoors. This enables children to get acces...s to a wide range of learning.

For example, children explore the properties of sand and learn about its consistency. They problem solve as they use different-sized equipment to fill each container. Children learn to take turns and share the sand equipment.

They develop their mathematical skills as they count each spoonful and find out about different size measures, such as 'full', 'empty', 'heavy' and 'light'. Staff offer children lots of praise and are very positive role models. They give clear explanations about expected behaviour.

This encourages children to behave well and enables them to understand what is expected of them and develop confidence.

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

Staff regularly observe children in their play and make regular assessments of children's progress and development. Gaps in children's learning are identified early and plans are put in place to address these.

Parents describe how daily conversations in the nursery with their child's key person, along with termly parents' meetings and the online information is extremely valued. This enables parents to see their child's progress and to fully support their child's learning at home. For example, the nursery often sends ideas for home learning to parents, and children bring in pictures of their experiences from home to share.

This promotes consistency of care for children.Leaders think about children's learning needs and interests when planning the curriculum. They have considered the impact of the pandemic on children and identified areas that they most need support, such as by providing lots of language activities to help develop early speech and communication skills.

The special educational needs coordinator has an in-depth understanding of how to identify and support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She regularly liaises with the local authority advisers to coordinate additional support for children with SEND.Children who speak English as an additional language are supported very well.

Management use all the knowledge obtained from parents to carefully match children to bilingual key workers. In the main, this helps to ensure that children make good progress. However, sometimes, staff's use of questioning does not consistently give children time and full support to extend their thinking skills.

Arrangements for staff's continuous development are very effective because measures are put into place to monitor staff performance. This helps to identify where they can improve skills and knowledge. The manager fully supports and promotes training and development, and encourages staff to go to university.

Older children develop good independence skills to help them be ready for school. For example, two-year-olds find their peg and hang up their coat when asked by staff. Pre-school children learn to follow good hygiene practices and can wipe their own nose and put the tissue in the bin.

Babies feed themselves with support from staff. However, children are not always given the opportunity to make early choices and build on their early independence skills, such as when choosing their fruit or drink during snack time.Children behave very well.

Staff implement good strategies to encourage children to manage their own behaviour and feelings.Children's physical skills are well supported. For example, children have great pleasure in racing together round the outdoor area on bicycles and scooters and climbing up the slide.

This helps supports their coordination. The provider is committed to the ongoing improvements of the nursery. Recent additional funding obtained was used to develop a new, sensory, soft playroom, to help towards closing gaps in children's learning and development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Children's safety and well-being are given the highest priority. The manager and staff regularly update their safeguarding and child protection training.

Staff are confident in recognising the signs of abuse. Staff know the procedures to follow to report a concern regarding a child's well-being, including whistle-blowing, and are aware of keeping children safe online. Regular risk assessments of the premises are carried out to ensure that it is safe and secure.

Suitable recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that all people working with children are suitable to do so. In addition, staff carry out mandatory training, such as first-aid training.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen staff's questioning techniques to help challenge children's learning even further provide babies with opportunities to make their own choices throughout the day, to develop their independence and confidence.