Anderton Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The dedicated leadership team has worked tirelessly with all staff to raise the quality of the provision.

Every aspect of the nursery has been reflected upon. Parents, children and the staff have all made valuable contributions to this process. Consequently, this has enabled leaders to implement beneficial changes.

For example, they have made changes to the staff who work with babies and provided training for staff in the care of babies. Enhancements have been made to all rooms. These provide children with more opportunities to explore using all of their senses and develop their independence and self-help skills.
<...br/>Staff incorporate the teaching of mathematics into everyday activities. Consequently, children develop particularly well in this area. Leaders know there is even more work to do.

There is scope to further develop staff's skills in teaching communication and language and to further enhance sleeping arrangements in the baby room.The nursery is a hive of activity, where children play together harmoniously under the warm and nurturing supervision of staff. The nursery is clean, safe and secure.

Staff have high expectations for all children. They provide a curriculum that is tailored to their individual learning needs and builds on their current interests. Staff support children's emotional well-being exceptionally well at the start of placement.

However, information sharing with parents at this time can be strengthened to enable staff to gain an even better understanding of children's starting points on entry.

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

There is genuine care given by staff to support children's emotional well-being. Staff attentively address the needs of babies.

For example, they make sure their comfort items are available. Babies tenderly look for their key person and smile as they enter the room. Older children receive constant encouragement and praise when they attempt to do things for themselves.

Children behave well because they know what is expected of them.New staffing arrangements in the baby room are working well. Staff have used learning from specific baby training to adapt the learning environment to help better support babies' exploration.

Babies confidently shuffle along while holding onto low-level furniture, and explore natural materials such as wooden and metal items. Encouraged by staff, they excitedly shake and bang these together to make different sounds. There is scope to reflect on staff's practice even further to ensure all babies can move as freely as possible and be in the utmost comfortable position as they sleep.

Staff's interactions with children are positive and, overall, are used well to motivate children to join in and 'have a go'. Staff ask some meaningful questions to test children's understanding. They provide new words to build on their current vocabulary and extend their understanding.

For example, as children create their own self-portraits, staff ask children to discuss each other's similarities and differences.The manager carries out regular staff supervision sessions and provides staff with some coaching to improve their personal effectiveness. As a result, teaching is improved, particularly in the baby room.

Staff use their 'sign-along' training to help to extend younger children's communication skills. That said, more incisive and individualised feedback is needed to further support all staff to raise the quality of their teaching and provision to the highest levels.The manager monitors the quality of staff's observations and assessments.

Consequently, all children make good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who speak English as an additional language and those who are in receipt of funded early education. Swift action is taken to address any gaps in children's learning.Children relish playing outdoors, where they have many opportunities to develop their physical skills.

They experience safe risk and challenge as they jump on and off large tyres and balance on tree stumps. Children confidently use tools such as trowels and large spoons to fill different-sized containers. Additionally, activities such as weekly football lessons and trips outside of the nursery further support children's physical well-being.

On the whole, partnerships with parents are positive. They highly value the care and education given to their children. More can be done to strengthen information sharing with parents at the start of placement to help staff understand what children can already do and plan even more effectively for their initial next steps.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff have attended relevant training and have a secure understanding of what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare. Additionally, staff know the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a member of staff.

The manager makes good use of one to one discussions and team meetings to keep staff up to date with legislative changes. The manager and staff vigilantly carry out daily checks to ensure the nursery is safe and risks to children are minimised.

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 of staff's practice, for example teaching, to extend communication and language and sleeping arrangements for young babies find out more from parents about what their children know and can do on entry, and use this to plan even more meaningful experiences from the start.