Abacus Children’s Nurseries Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children and their families are warmly welcomed at this happy and family focused setting. Staff promote children's emotional well-being effectively.

They provide cuddles, comfort, praise, and encouragement to children frequently. Children enter eager to play and explore. Babies are highly motivated and engaged.

Staff have created a well-planned environment, which is calm and nurturing. Babies delight in exploring different textures in a tray, linked to their interest in farm animals. This supports their personal, social and communication skills well.

Staff develop attractive spaces for children to explore. The...se support children's individual needs. Staff promote children's positive behaviour.

For instance, they use strategies such as reminding children to use 'Dangerous Dave's' kind hands and feet. Children behave well. Staff have high expectations for children.

They plan exciting and interesting activities and experiences. For example, older children spend a long time outside mixing potions. They use words such as 'abracadabra' when they create their own mixtures.

This supports their language and communication skills well. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Children who were non-verbal when they started, are now confident speakers.

Children who speak English as an additional language are encouraged to communicate using cards and pictures. This helps to support their developing understanding and speech. All children make good progress.

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

Staff promote children's good behaviour. Babies are highly engaged in exploring different areas in the newly developed environment. Older children play well together, making different models out of coloured blocks and sharing these with their friends.

This supports children's personal and social skills well.Children benefit from staff who celebrate their achievements and encourage their confidence. For example, babies smile and point when they do things for the first time, such as using a spoon at lunchtime.

Older children excitedly say that they have drawn shapes and letters themselves.Children benefit from staff who know them well. Staff successfully plan a curriculum that prioritises gaps in learning.

For example, staff encourage children to develop their literacy skills. Children enjoy taking home 'Travel Bear' and talking about his adventures with them. Staff encourage children to choose books from the lending library.

This encourages the development of their literacy and language skills well.Staff promote children's developing mathematical knowledge well. They have prioritised this successfully.

Younger children enjoy joining in with singing number rhymes and songs. Older children enjoy counting different bears and matching them to different colours.Since the last inspection, staff have developed their practice to support children's independence well.

For example, babies toddle to get their own water bottles. Older children choose their snacks and wash up their own bowls and plates. However, on occasion, when children are moving between activities or routines, older children have to wait unnecessarily and are not as fully engaged as they could be.

Staff have prioritised developing the environment for babies to support their needs and interests. They have accessed effective support from the local authority to help them to make positive improvements. For example, staff have created attractive spaces for babies to explore and provide a calm and nurturing environment.

Babies are secure and content.Children with SEND make good progress. Staff prioritise using funding effectively to provide one-to-one support.

They are gentle and warm in their interactions with children. Staff liaise with a range of external agencies, settings and schools to ensure that children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning journey.Leaders and managers are passionate about and committed to ensuring that they continue to offer good-quality provision.

They have used COVID-19 recovery funding well to access outside support. This has been effective in developing staff's practice. Leaders and managers support staff well.

They collaborate well with the linked setting to support improvements.Communication with parents is strong. Parents are highly appreciative of the support they receive for both them and their children.

They talk of how welcomed and valued they feel. Parents travel significant distances to ensure that their children can attend. Parents talk of the positive help that they receive to support learning at home, such as with behaviour and toilet training.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review and improve transition times for older children to ensure that they do not have to wait unnecessarily as they move between activities.

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