The Natural Childcare Company - Shirley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children arrive happily at the nursery. Their parents take them to settle into their room, where they receive a warm welcome from staff.

Staff are attentive to their emotional needs. They give them cuddles and reassurance when they need it, which supports children to feel secure.There are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching throughout the nursery.

Staff who work with younger children do not plan and provide quality learning experiences. Younger children show some interest in the resources available. For example, they try to use musical instruments to make sounds.

However, staff do not add to their play to ...help them to learn new knowledge and skills. As a result, they quickly become bored and spend a lot of time moving around aimlessly. This also has an impact on children's behaviour over time.

Nevertheless, older children thrive as they engage in purposeful learning experiences to develop their hand muscles and coordination. They skilfully use rollers and cutters to independently manipulate dough. Older children use tools carefully to count out and weigh ingredients to make their own cakes.

Staff who work with older children have high expectations for their personal development. They encourage children to independently serve their own meals and snacks. However, for younger children, staff do this for them, which means they do not develop the skills they need in readiness for the next stage in their learning.

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

Since the last inspection, managers have focused on raising the quality of teaching for older children. This has had a positive impact on their experiences. However, managers have not focused enough on the provision for younger children.

There have been significant changes to staffing in these rooms, as well as to the oversight of the setting. The provider has failed to notify Ofsted following a recent significant event. However, they have taken appropriate action to make improvements following this.

Managers use information from assessments of children's development to devise a curriculum that sequences children's learning. This is implemented effectively for older children. However, planning for younger children lacks focus.

Staff do not consider what children need to learn next when providing activities and experiences. This means that younger children do not make the progress of which they are capable.Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills when playing outdoors.

They use ride-on toys to move themselves around. Children practise their climbing and balancing skills as they negotiate different obstacles and equipment. They enjoy kicking and throwing balls to their peers.

The coordinator for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is passionate about their role. They have clear systems in place to respond to any delays in children's development. Intervention is swiftly provided to help close gaps in children's learning.

The coordinator knows how to obtain external support when needed. As a result, children with SEND receive the help they need in a timely way.Older children are exposed to a rich variety of language.

Staff often sing with them and read them stories. However, younger children do not receive the same opportunities. Although staff sing with them when they change their nappies, other interactions are sparse.

Staff do not always respond to children who use dummies for significant periods of time. This impacts on the progress younger children make in their communication and language development.Older children are exposed to a rich variety of language.

Staff often sing with them and read them stories. However, younger children do not receive the same opportunities. Staff do not always respond to children who use dummies for significant periods of time.

This impacts on the progress younger children make in their communication and language development.Parents speak highly of the nursery. They say that their children have settled well and always have fun.

Parents welcome the updates they receive about their child's day, and they enjoy attending events held for parents.The arrangements for the supervision of staff are not embedded effectively. Supervision and monitoring of staff's teaching and practice do not happen regularly enough.

When weaknesses have been identified, these are not always followed up swiftly to bring about improvement. This means that there are variations in the quality of provision for younger children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff attend regular training to keep their knowledge of safeguarding issues up to date. They are confident in identifying signs of possible child protection concerns and know the procedures to follow to report any issues to other agencies. Staff and managers know what to do if they have concerns about the conduct of a member of staff.

There are rigorous procedures in place to check the suitability of staff who work with children. Records of identity and vetting checks are maintained. Risk assessment is carried out effectively to provide children with a safe environment.

Staff deploy themselves well to supervise children and meet their needs.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure that staff plan and provide interesting and suitably challenging activities and experiences for younger children that take account of their individual stages of development 29/12/2023 put effective arrangements in place for the regular supervision of all staff, which includes monitoring staff's teaching and practice, to identify and address weaknesses.29/12/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: help staff to improve the support for younger children's communication and language development review the organisation of routines, and how staff manage other tasks, to prevent children from waiting for long periods of time between transitions.