Wentwood House Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The new manager, who started a short time ago, has significantly improved the quality of care and education in the nursery. He works closely with the organisation's senior managers to recruit and retain staff. Together, they focus strongly on supporting staff well-being.

There are fewer staff changes and, as a result, there is a more consistent approach to meeting children's individual needs. Staff now use the key-person system well to establish positive relationships with parents and children. They give children who are new to the nursery as much time as they need to settle in.

Staff quickly form close bonds with chil...dren, who are happy, settled and safe. Children are given lots of opportunities to make choices and decisions in their play. They are motivated to learn and explore, particularly when playing outdoors in the nursery's secure enclosed woodland area.

Staff have high expectations for every child and prepare them for future success in their learning, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Overall, children behave well. However, on occasion when older children lose focus, their behaviour declines.

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

The recent re-organisation of the nursery environment and different age groups provides children with more space to play and explore. They now have more choice and access to a much wider range of exciting resources. Staff are positive role models for children.

They treat children with kindness and respect. Children form close friendships and overall develop good social skills. Younger children voluntarily share resources, for example, while playing with water in a sensory room.

However, occasionally in the pre-school room, staff do not always organise routine events well or support children to understand the consequences of their behaviour. During some activities, staff do not encourage older children to think and share their ideas.The manager aims to provide children with a high-quality, exciting curriculum.

He has successfully improved how staff plan activities and staff supervision, to raise the quality of the teaching practice overall. Children now spend much more time playing and learning outdoors. Children develop knowledge and skills across all areas of learning that prepare them for future success.

Children are happy, settled and safe in the nursery. They are motivated to explore the varied range of accessible resources and activities. The well-qualified staff work together effectively to meet children's individual care needs.

They support children to develop confidence and independence. For instance, with some support, children enjoy cutting up fresh fruit to eat at snack time and serve themselves pasta at lunchtime.Staff successfully develop children's understanding of the world.

For example, during outings to local shops, they buy ingredients to use in cooking activities.Staff make good use of these outings to promote children's language and mathematical development. Older children enthusiastically help staff to bury a mushroom they find in the nursery's woodland area, to find out if it will continue to grow.

Children make discoveries, for example, while conducting science experiments and using musical instruments in a sensory room. Staff show and explain to children how to use the resources.Staff know their key children well.

They work well with parents and other agencies to support all children, including children with SEND. For example, they use a range of strategies, such as signing and visual prompts cards, to help children understand and cooperate with routines and develop their independence.The new manager is fully committed to evaluating and continually making improvements to the nursery and teaching practice.

He is very enthusiastic and works well with staff, parents and the local authority to make changes that, overall, successfully improve the quality of children's care and education. Feedback from parents is very positive. All actions and a recommendation raised at the last inspection have been met.

Staff professional development and well-being are fully supported. The manager works hard to reduce staff workload. Recent staff training has improved children's communication and language, younger children's interest in books and children's writing skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers ensure there is a strong focus on keeping children safe. All staff complete safeguarding training and know what to do if they have a concern about a child's safety.

Staff risk assess the premises and outings effectively to keep children safe. All children wear high-visibility jackets during outings in the local community and while walking to the nursery woodland area. Staff fully understand the fire evacuation procedures.

They teach children how to use the stairs to and from the first-floor play rooms safely. There is closed-circuit television in the premises which is closely monitored by managers to ensure children's safety.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consider ways to develop older children's emerging understanding of behavioural expectations, to gain their cooperation even further place a stronger focus on staff interaction with older children to increase the opportunities for children to think and share their ideas support staff to improve the organisation of routine events, such as lunchtime and storytimes, to provide children with a calm and well-ordered environment.