Wee Ones

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The nursery has been through a recent period of change which has impacted on the quality of care children receive at times.

The new staff are beginning to build relationships with children to help them feel safe and secure. For example, they find out what children are interested in and what comforts them when they are upset. However, the key-person system is not yet effective enough to help all children form secure relationships with staff.

Despite this, in general, most children are settled and play well. Babies enjoy water play and explore the texture of bubbles. Toddlers develop their physical skills outdoors as they l...earn to kick balls around cones.

Staff have suitable expectations for children's behaviour. Children learn to take turns as they share serving tongs at mealtimes. However, there are times when children lose interest in planned activities, which leads to an unsettled atmosphere which impacts on children's learning.

The manager plans a curriculum that helps children develop the skills they need to be ready for school, such as confidence, independence and some knowledge of phonics and numbers. There is a particular focus on communication and language development. Children learn through monthly themed songs, books and Makaton signs, which helps them learn to communicate in a variety of ways through reinforcement and repetition.

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

All children have an allocated key person who gathers information about their personal needs. However, this system is not yet effective, as staff do not consistently respond to children's needs. For example, staff comment that young children are tired but do not promptly provide opportunities for them to rest or sleep, which impacts on their well-being.

Staff identify children's interests and next steps through observation and assessment. On the whole, they plan interesting learning opportunities that stimulate children's learning, such as building with blocks and role play. However, staff do not consistently consider what they know about children's individual learning needs.

This means not all children have enough opportunities to take part in suitably challenging experiences, which impacts on the progress they make.Weaknesses in planning and teaching impact on children's behaviour and attitudes to learning. Some planned group activities have not considered the interests and abilities of all children.

This means some children quickly lose interest, which impacts on their attitudes to learning, as they are not learning to concentrate and pay attention in their play.Children join in with familiar songs and rhymes. Babies use picture cards to request songs they want to sing and rock back and forth as they sing 'Row, row, row your boat'.

Pre-school children engage in conversation with adults and learn new vocabulary such as 'bigger' and 'biggest'.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff liaise with other professionals to implement plans to support their development, which helps them make good progress.

Children have opportunities to learn self-help skills. For example, pre-school children use tongs to serve themselves at lunchtime and learn to pour their own water. Children learn to wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet, which teaches them good hygiene routines for later life.

The manager is developing relationships with parents to improve partnerships. Parents are invited to join in activities making Christmas cards with their children. Most parents are satisfied with the communication they receive about their children's care via the digital app.

However, a lack of consistency means some parents do not receive as much information as they would like.The manager has identified weaknesses in practice at the nursery and has taken some steps to improve. A programme of training and support has been implemented to develop staff skills and knowledge.

However, the learning from this has not yet been embedded, which means the quality of care and learning for children is not yet good.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff ensure the environment is safe.

Regular cleaning takes place through the day and any identified hazards are removed, which minimises risks. Children's health is promoted. Children learn to wash their hands and staff use hand sanitiser between nappy changes.

This helps minimise the spread of infection. All staff have recently completed safeguarding training to update their knowledge. They recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and know how to report their concerns, including whistle-blowing allegations.

New staff receive a thorough induction so they know their safeguarding responsibilities from the start.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve the key-person system to support children's personal, social and emotional development and ensure children's individual needs are met 31/01/2024 improve planning so all children's interests and developmental needs are considered 31/01/2024 provide staff with further learning opportunities to improve the quality of their teaching so all children are effectively engaged in their learning and play.31/01/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop further strategies to ensure that all parents receive the information they need to ensure children's needs are met both at home and in the setting.

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