Ashbourne Day Nurseries At Swanbourne

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children show great enthusiasm for being at nursery.

They smile at the familiar faces that greet them as they arrive. They are eager to start playing and learning. Throughout the day, children continue to show that they feel safe and happy.

Children show they trust staff to look after them. For example, children respond positively to the cuddles and quiet words of reassurance that staff offer as they wake from naps. Babies giggle and laugh at nappy changing time.

Children behave well. They listen to what staff say and cooperate swiftly with routines. For example, pre-school-age children know what they need to ...do to get ready for their daily outing to the wooded area outside.

Children are excited to see visitors and make them feel very welcome.Children benefit from a programme of learning that is clearly defined and understood well by staff. It is designed to give children a strong set of skills and knowledge in preparation for the next stage in their learning, including the move to school.

Children learn well how to communicate their needs and ideas. They learn to manage age-appropriate tasks for themselves. Children gain an especially strong appreciation of the benefits of a physically active lifestyle.

They also learn a lot about the natural world around them.

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

Babies thrive in the nurturing care of the attentive staff. They move around the room, showing delight in the resources.

Staff provide effective support as babies learn to move, express their needs and explore with confidence.All children hear lots of new words and phrases. Staff talk to children a lot about what they are doing and show interest in children's answers.

This encourages children to continue to use their expanding vocabulary and to listen attentively to what others say.Children show that they are developing a love of stories. They demonstrate this by often choosing to sit and look at books.

Staff provide attractive areas inside and outdoors that encourage children to do this. Staff plan regular times to read to children and also engage in spontaneous story reading when children ask. This has a positive impact on children's developing literacy skills.

Staff clearly and accurately identify when children need extra support to reach their full potential. They work closely with parents to plan how to close any gaps in children's learning.Overall, staff plan and deliver teaching of a very high quality.

Occasionally, staff over complicate activities or do not fully consider precisely what children will most benefit from learning next.Children show that they are remembering well what they have learnt. For example, children remember what they have learned about the names and characteristics of different birds.

Staff do not always make the best use of routine times, such as mealtimes, to continue to support learning and teach new skills. For example, staff miss opportunities to talk with younger children at these times. Although staff ensure that children have clean hands before eating, they do not always use this time effectively to teach children how to do this for themselves.

Children are very enthusiastic about the learning opportunities on offer. They find the resources exciting. They are developing very well into independent and curious learners.

Children are learning very well how to manage risks and keep themselves safe. Staff make especially good use of the wooded outdoor area to teach these skills. Children learn to balance and climb.

Staff remain nearby to offer support and encouragement as needed.The manager is a strong leader. She is ambitious for the nursery and has a clear plan of action to build further on the existing high-quality provision.

For example, she is working with staff to further refine the use of written observations.Staff state that they really enjoy working at the nursery. They appreciate the training opportunities available to them and say that they find these beneficial in developing further their understanding of how children learn.

Parents are complimentary about the nursery and the staff. Staff have worked effectively to maintain these strong partnerships during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are looking forward to inviting parents back into the nursery for picnics and sports days.

Staff plan to use these times to further help parents gain an insight into their children's learning at nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a secure understanding of their role in keeping children safe.

They supervise children closely and maintain a very clean and safe environment. Staff understand the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. They understand the importance of sharing any such concerns promptly in order to protect children.

Staff know who to talk to within the organisation and who to approach externally if needed. Those responsible for recruitment follow robust procedures to ensure the suitability of those they employ to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to manage times when children transition from one activity to another to minimise distractions and make the most of learning opportunities that arise develop staff practice, helping staff to refine planning for some adult-led experiences in order to build further on existing good teaching.

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