Appletree Day Care Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled in this calm and nurturing environment. They separate from their parents with ease.

They come running in to get their nametag for self-registration. The key-person system works very well. Children develop positive relationships with staff, who know children individually.

When children achieve a new skill, staff celebrate with them and then share it with parents. Staff quickly respond to children's interests. They add resources to enhance their learning.

For example, when a child bangs on a metal container, staff swiftly add more containers and a drum. This creates opportunities t...o discuss the different sounds that each container makes.Children have lots of opportunities to make choices in their play.

They enjoy exploring materials, which inspires their curiosity and creativity skills. Staff encourage children to move resources into different parts of the setting. Children transport sand around the room on the back of trucks and then take it outside.

Children make fresh play dough every day. This develops their imagination as they transform it into different things. They use it as food in the home corner or transform it into bandages to fix a poorly head.

Children and staff have fun playing outside together. They enjoy games, such as hide and seek in the garden, and take turns hiding and counting. This helps to develop their mathematics and problem-solving skills.

Children are encouraged to assess their own risks to see if they are manageable. They take their time on surfaces which are slippery due to the weather. This enables children to learn how to stay safe in different environments.

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

The manager has noticed children's speech and language skills are lower than expected since the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff are skilled at changing their language for individual children. When enjoying a creative activity, staff ask children 'What happens when you twist this?' For other children, they introduce new language by commenting on the colour and sounds of paper tearing.

This supports children to learn new vocabulary.All parents talk very positively about the setting. They feel their children have made good progress.

They share examples of new language children have learned since they started nursery. Parents talk positively about the online system, which keeps them up to date on what their child is doing while they are at nursery. However, staff do not gather enough information from parents when children first start.

This means that key persons have to take time to get to know children before they can plan for their learning.Children are encouraged to talk about and manage their feelings. This has a positive impact on their behaviour.

They listen to stories about different types of emotions. This encourages them to talk about experiences where they have felt happy and sad. For example, children excitedly share with their friends, 'Do you know what makes me happy, a horsey'.

Sometimes, such as story times, staff do not use highly effective questioning techniques to support children's learning and help them to widen their vocabulary.Staff have high ambitions for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They know children's individual needs and what they need to learn next.

They work closely with other professionals to ensure children are fully supported. This enables children with SEND to make good progress.Staff plan effectively to develop children's independence skills.

They help to give out plates and cups at mealtimes. They serve their own lunch and spread butter on their crackers at snack time. When they misplace their belongings, staff encourage children to look for them.

When they find their lost objects children celebrate this achievement and feel proud.The nursery manager has a clear vision for the nursery. She is aware of the strengths and areas for development.

She has a plan for improvement with clear timescales. Staff feel well supported and have a voice in supporting the setting to improve. They have regular training, which is effective in improving outcomes for children.

For example, staff have recently accessed sign language training. This is now used with individual children to aid their communication.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and nursery staff have secure knowledge of how to keep children safe. Safeguarding training has been a priority. All staff have had recent child protection and wider safeguarding training.

They know about different kinds of abuse and understand how to recognise a child who may be at risk of harm. Staff know how to report and document any concerns. Recruitment and vetting procedures are robust.

They ensure that all staff working with children have suitable checks. Staff carry out risk assessments in the environment to help keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nuse the knowledge shared by parents about what children know and can do more effectively when children start attending, in order to plan for what they need to learn first develop staff questioning techniques, so they more effectively support children's communication and language, particularly at story times.