Active Kids

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children benefit from a caring and professional staff team who know how to support their learning effectively. Staff know what it is they would like children to achieve in their time at the nursery. Children learn many skills to support them as they prepare to move on to the next stage in their education.

For instance, children learn to take turns and play cooperatively with their friends. Children behave well. They know and understand the rules of the nursery.

For example, they respond swiftly to requests to tidy up the bricks they leave on the floor. Children are developing a good understanding of how to keep themsel...ves and the environment safe for their friends to play in.Children are engaged and self-motivated to play and learn.

They make choices and decisions, such as what to play with and where to play. Younger children enjoy the opportunity to play in the stimulating outdoor space where they can freely move about and practice their walking skills. Older children clearly relish the challenge of the climbing wall outdoors and trying to walk on stilts.

They show a can-do attitude to learning.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nursery has reviewed their contact with parents and methods of communication. Parents share extremely positive feedback about staff's care of their children and good communication systems.

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

Staff know the children they care for very well. They understand how small steps to support children's learning now will make a difference longer term. For instance, staff encourage children to use signs and gestures and make sounds and babble as they start to learn to communicate.

However, staff do not always organise the learning environment in a way that best supports children's developing communication skills. For instance, they occasionally leave music playing, which makes it difficult for children to hear what staff are saying.Children enjoy engaging story times.

They listen attentively to traditional tales and modern stories read by engaging staff. Staff's deployment is effective in supporting all children to benefit from story time activities.Children learn about mathematical concepts as they play.

They sort out big and small wheels, for instance, as they construct cars and find blocks of different shapes. Staff support children to learn about the natural world as they take part in engaging activities. They comment on what children are doing, such as when they plant big and small bulbs in the outdoor space, and talk to children about flowers growing in the spring.

Staff know what children can do and understand when they start at the nursery. They use this knowledge from parents to build on and extend children's learning.For instance, they support younger children to learn to feed themselves and walk, and older children to make friends.

Staff support children's physical and social development effectively.Children take pride in their achievements. For example, children beam with delight when they find their coat pegs and hang their coats up by themselves.

Staff are close by to readily offer support, if necessary, to prevent children becoming frustrated.Staff encourage children to become independent. Most children learn to serve their own meals, for example, and take off their shoes when they enter the nursery.

They confidently know where to find tissues to blow their noses.Occasionally, staff complete tasks that children could manage themselves. At times, staff do not make the most of opportunities to fully support children as they play and through daily routines.

For instance, they do not make effective use of children building towers to support counting or make comparisons of height.The manager and owner are reflective and evaluate the nursery to ensure they continually adapt and develop it to benefit the children and their families. Additional funding has been invested in the outdoor learning spaces, for example, to encourage and support children who need extra opportunities to develop their physical skills.

The manager has a clear understanding of the strengths of her staff team and where they need further support and mentoring. She ensures that all staff have opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. They attend regular training, for example, and the manager and owner are positive role models in the rooms.

Staff comment they feel well supported to carry out their jobs to provide good quality care for children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager ensures staff are suitable to work with children.

Safeguarding is a high priority in the nursery, and new staff complete appropriate training before they begin working with children. Staff have a good understanding of child protection and wider safeguarding issues, such as how to promote online safety to children. Staff know their role is to keep children safe and promote their well-being.

They understand the procedures to pass on any concerns they may have about children's welfare. Staff know about whistle-blowing and how to report concerns about other members of staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen staff's understanding of how to help children develop their communication skills more effectively help staff to make the most of teaching opportunities that arise as children play and through daily routines to support children's learning even further.