All Saints Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy, safe and secure. They have adapted well to the changes to drop off and collection arrangements, following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children confidently say goodbye to their parents outside the nursery and are warmly greeted by their key person and all staff. Children are eager to begin their day and excitedly join their friends in play.Children behave well.

Staff recognise the impact that the pandemic has had on children. They have focused and prioritised the curriculum for personal, social and emotional development. This has greatly supported children in their sharing and turn-taking skills and helpe...d them to engage well with each other.

Children respond well to the boundaries and routines. For example, they know not to run around indoors when it is time to tidy away the toys.Children are independent and choose their own play.

Children's imaginations develop as they play together in the home corner and pretend to cook and make cups of tea. They enjoy exploring play dough and follow picture instructions, learning to roll the play dough in different ways to make a face. Children show curiosity as they explore natural materials.

They pick up acorns using tweezers and count how many there are in a line. Staff provide a range of outdoor play activities to accommodate the different needs of the group. Children access a covered area where there are further resources and books, or play in the well-resourced garden and explore the mud kitchen.

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

Staff know their key children well, overall. They provide a welcoming and exciting learning environment. However, for some activities, staff are not always clear enough about what they want children to learn.

This means children are not always consistently challenged in their learning, in order to make the best possible progress.The managers closely monitor the quality of education in the nursery. They routinely observe staff's teaching and provide them with constructive feedback.

Staff receive good support and coaching to help them understand their responsibilities. They work closely as a team and evaluate their practice. During staff meetings, they discuss what is going well and what they could do differently.

Although staff complete mandatory training there is less targeted training to enhance their curriculum knowledge further and extend their practice to the highest level.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Leaders and managers have a good knowledge of the children and their needs.

They work closely with parents and other professionals. Key workers plan one-to-one or small group sessions to focus on children's individual learning targets. This ensures children are helped to catch up in their learning and have early input to help their specific needs.

Parents are very complimentary about the nursery. They speak highly of the staff and comment that their children love attending and they see good progress in their development. The provider is very approachable and provided a high level of support to families, particularly during the pandemic.

Staff make good use of books and share stories with the children, to help support their early reading skills. They tell children about the author and illustrator, which supports children's awareness of the components of a book. Children particularly enjoy the 'Gruffalo' story and join in as this is read to them.

Overall, children's communication and language skills are supported well. Staff sit alongside children in areas, such as the home corner, and join in with their play. However, staff do not always make the most of opportunities to extend children's communication skills even further, for example by modelling language or introducing new words to extend their vocabulary.

Children thoroughly enjoy group singing and know a number of songs very well. They confidently join in with a 'good morning' song and take great pride in saying 'hello' to the group when their name is called. This supports all children to feel included and be part of a group.

Staff make effective use of musical instruments, particularly for children with SEND, to encourage their sensory awareness. Children have great fun banging the cymbals loudly and then shaking maracas. This helps them to begin to notice the difference between sounds.

Staff support children to understand about similarities and differences. For example, children take part in topics focusing on 'all about me' and 'people who help us'. They have group discussions about various roles in their diverse community, and learn about doctors, nurses, firefighters and police officers.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a clear understanding of safeguarding. They understand the importance of making prompt referrals if they have concerns about a child's welfare.

Staff are aware of the action to take if they have concerns about a colleague's practice. Robust recruitment and vetting arrangements are in place to help ensure all adults working with children are suitable for their role. The premises are safe and secure.

The front gate and door are securely locked to ensure children are kept safe while in the nursery. There is also a secure area at the front of the nursery where children can safely run around.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus more precisely on the skills and knowledge children need to learn next to consistently help maximise their learning provide greater support for children's communication and langauge skills as they play and learn strengthen opportunities for staff to enhance their professional development to help them embed the curriculum more securely and deliver the highest quality of teaching for children.