Abbotswood Pre School and Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and separate from their parents with ease.

They behave well and develop positive attitudes to their learning. The well-organised environment promotes their natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. Children are confident and interact with staff, each other and visitors.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress. Children engage in a wide range of outdoor activities at the nursery. Toddlers squeal with delight as they splash in the rain puddles.

Children enjoy listening to a story as they sit underneath the tree outside. The...y create the sounds of the animals as they join in the actions. This supports children to develop a love of books.

Children access a wide range of learning opportunities. For example, they play with a variety of different-sized dinosaurs. Children predict whether the creatures will fit into the buckets of water.

This helps to develop their understanding of size and shape. Toddlers enjoy playing with instruments. Staff praise them as they bang on the xylophones.

This encourages the children to repeat their actions. They smile at the staff as they create their music. Babies cuddle their key persons for reassurance when they wake from their sleep.

This promotes a sense of security.

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

The experienced manager supports the team well. Staff report that their well-being is good and they receive support in their role.

Effective systems are in place for the supervision of all staff. The manager observes staff's teaching. She provides them with constructive feedback to further improve their teaching.

Staff complete regular training. This helps to keep their knowledge and skills current.Staff generally put in place good hygiene practices at the nursery.

Nappy changing arrangements are hygienic and staff wear protective clothing. Children wash their hands with warm water and soap. This happens before mealtimes and after using the toilet.

As the children are outside most of the time, there is a strong focus on cleaning up after activities. For example, staff sweep the floor, picking up discarded food and cleaning the surfaces. Children use mirrors after mealtimes to look and see if they need to clean their faces.

Yet, staff do not always prompt children to cover their mouths when coughing. This does not support children's understanding of how to keep healthy.Staff complete two year progress checks for children.

Parents then access these online. However, staff do not always check that parents have contributed their views. This does not portray a full picture of the children's development, both at home and at nursery.

Parents speak well of the care that their children receive. They talk positively about how their children have settled into the nursery. They appreciate the online system used to communicate information.

They comment on the daily handovers informing them what their children have done. They share the support they receive to continue their children's learning at home.Children with SEND receive good support.

The special educational needs coordinator and key person work closely with parents and other professionals. They offer small-group sessions to focus on children's individual learning targets. Children get the input they need to help them achieve the best possible outcomes.

Staff provide children with healthy meals, snacks and fresh drinking water. They ensure children's dietary requirements and allergies are fully catered for. Oral health is well supported in the nursery.

Staff give natural toothbrushes to the babies' parents to encourage early brushing. Also, an oral health specialist visits the nursery. This professional talks to the children about looking after their teeth.

Staff encourage children's independence at every opportunity. For example, at lunchtime, they choose their own plates and cutlery and serve their own food.Staff sing nursery rhymes to the children as they play and during daily routines.

Children start to sing while playing in the outdoor area as they engage in activities. Staff use signs alongside words to support babies' and toddlers' early communication skills. They helps to further develop children's language and confidence.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures to keep children safe. They complete regular training to keep their knowledge current.

Staff know the procedures to follow if they have concerns about another member of staff. They complete regular risk assessments of the indoor and outdoor environments, to ensure children's well-being and safety. Effective recruitment and supervision procedures help to ensure staff working with children are suitable to do so.

Staff with paediatric first-aid training are confident in the procedures to follow in the event of a choking incident. This helps to keep children safe at mealtimes and in their play.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the monitoring arrangements for progress checks at age two, so that parents are able to be fully involved in the process and can contribute to the final document support staff to consistently follow and teach robust hygiene practices at all times, to promote children's good health and their understanding of how to keep healthy.