The Learning Journey Day Nursery Waterfront

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children feel safe and secure. They demonstrate very good attitudes for learning within a highly relaxed environment.

Young babies show interest and attention as they sit and watch a space projector. They concentrate with amazement on the moving stars and lights. Children create games with their peers and engage in imaginative play together.

They sound their horns and say 'beep beep' when their toy cars come nose-to-nose. Together they solve problems in their play. For example, they discuss that the car is too big and will not fit over the small bridge.

They are confident to predict what will happen and test o...ut their ideas.Children and babies work hard to practise their developing skills. Babies concentrate as they fit a small puppet onto their finger.

Older children use crates and hoops to practise balancing. Children learn resilience and have high levels of confidence in themselves. Younger children independently interact with technology resources and can competently navigate a screen with their finger.

Children have a good awareness of expectations within the environment. They get their own paper when they want to do a painting. Children demonstrate very good behaviour.

They welcome peers to join their play and give them space to learn.Children learn about healthy lifestyles through rest, exercise, and healthy practices. Children have had an active role in creating the nursery's menu and are confident to share their likes and dislikes for food.

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

Pre-school children are very independent and competent learners. They actively use their 'snuffle station' to blow their nose and know to dispose of the tissue and wash their hands for 10 seconds. They self-serve their meals and clean up after themselves.

When younger children need support, they know to ask for help. For example, children and staff work together when a child cannot take off their shoe. Staff assist children with calm language, directed at what the child needs to do and provide support based on the level of assistance they need.

Pre-school staff are mindful of what children can do and they build on these skills. However, at times, young children and babies do not consistently receive the same level of interaction as their peers.Staff know children's starting points.

The curriculum is well sequenced to build on individual children's skills. Children engage in a five day plan to promote areas of importance on top of their usual curriculum. Days have a specific intent, which ensures children's next steps for learning are promoted.

For example, 'Messy Monday' encourages boys to enjoy creative learning indoors, engaging them in areas of learning they do not always participate in. 'Fitness Friday' puts emphasis on physical development. Children take part in yoga to develop their core strength.

They engage in 'funky finger' activities to enhance fine motor skills, essential for handwriting.Partnership with parents is exceptional. Children have many opportunities to take part in home learning.

Staff send home videos of songs, stories, and examples of yoga. During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders went above and beyond expectations for the role to ensure family well-being was supported. They sent home food baskets, healthy eating boxes and shared ideas for recipes.

Parents say, 'The nursery has been really accommodating and they are overwhelmed with how much the nursery want to support their child.' All children make good progress in their learning, including those children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff constantly evaluate the routine to accommodate all children's needs.

For example, leaders have recently mixed two ages of children to promote children's self-esteem. They identify that children who were at risk of falling behind because of the COVID-19 pandemic are now making progress in personal, social, and emotional development. Children with mixed abilities learn from each other.

Children have respectful friendships with their peers and demonstrate this through play.Leaders effectively monitor staff practice. They support staff to identify those children with potential language difficulties, through training, screening, and intervention.

Staff plan daily experiences for children to develop communication and language. Children use puppets when singing songs, and textured stories encourage babies to babble. Babies sing 'Old MacDonald had a farm' and say 'more' after each verse.

Babies' language is supported through repetition. Older children hear words, such as 'freezing' and 'melting' while developing their understanding of the concept. At times, staff do not engage children in meaningful conversation.

They ask children too many questions during activities, which children do not have time to process or respond to.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and managers have secure policies and procedures in place to ensure all staff have exceptional safeguarding knowledge.

Staff know the signs and symptoms that might indicate a child is at risk of abuse and neglect. Leaders operate a 'policy of the month' to ensure staff know a wide range of safeguarding issues, such as female genital mutilation and the 'Prevent' duty. Arrangements for monitoring absences, and patterns in accidents are effective to ensure children are kept safe.

Leaders have robust procedures in place to ensure staff working with children are suitable. Staff know who to report to if they have any concerns about a child's welfare and are confident to report any concerns about a member of staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to consistently provide younger children with positive interactions and experiences, so that their needs are fully met during activities help staff to support children's continued communication through meaningful conversations, and provide children with time to respond to questions.