Avondale Cheeky Monkeys

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children bound through the door at the start of their day, excited to see their friends and join in their play.

They are greeted by familiar staff, who give them a very warm welcome. Children are clearly happy and secure in staff's care.Overall, staff plan carefully for children's learning.

They identify what they want children to learn next, which contributes to the good progress that all children make. Activities are appealing, which motivates children to learn. For example, children watch in awe and wonder as staff support them to make 'rain clouds' using water, foam and food dye.

Babies explore a range of ...textures, such as warm cotton wool and cold ice. Toddlers excitedly learn about light, dark and shadows when they use torches in a dark den that they make. Older children are keen to use their checklist to see which birds visit the garden.

Staff know that some children have had limited social experiences due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They help children to play alongside and with other children, teaching them to be kind, to share and to take turns. This supports children's positive behaviour well.

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

From an early age, children have plenty of opportunities to develop their hand muscles. Babies handle objects of different shapes and sizes. Older children squeeze dough and use scissors to snip it.

These activities contribute to children's very good achievements in early writing. Children frequently write independently during play. They make very good attempts at forming letters.

For example, they write a party invitation for their grandparents.Children have plenty of opportunities to lead their own play. Alongside this, staff plan a range of focused, adult-led activities.

Overall, they use these well to help children to learn and remember more. However, at times, younger children find it difficult to understand some parts of activities. The wide range of age and abilities of children at these times makes it difficult for staff to focus their good teaching as precisely as possible.

Staff know that some children need extra support with their speech. They work well with parents and professionals to help children to develop their language skills. However, at times, they overlook ways to help all children to achieve as well as possible in this area of learning.

For example, they sometimes use simple, familiar words when speaking to children. This does not fully challenge children to develop and understand a wide vocabulary.The long-serving manager and deputy manager work very well together to maintain, and build upon, their good practice.

Staff feel well supported and their workload is manageable. Regular evaluations by managers take account of feedback from parents and drive improvements to practice. For example, following a questionnaire, staff are developing ways to share even more information with parents about children's learning.

Parents are very happy with the care and education provided. They describe staff as amazing and say they go 'above and beyond'. Parents particularly appreciate support for children when moving to a new room, which helps them to feel emotionally secure and happy in nursery.

They say communication is excellent and they feel 'involved and informed'.Staff support children well to manage their frustrations. Children learn to understand the needs of others and to consider the impact their behaviour might have.

Those who struggle to manage their emotions benefit from skilful interventions from staff. For example, staff use 'emotion stones' to encourage children to share their feelings. They ensure children know what will happen next, which helps them to understand what is expected of them at different times of the day.

Children learn ways to stay healthy. They eagerly brush their teeth each morning, and they know they must keep their toothbrush clean. Staff encourage plenty of physical activities to teach children about the importance of exercise.

Furthermore, they provide nutritious, home-cooked meals and teach children about the benefits of healthy foods and drinks.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers and staff keep up to date with safeguarding legislation and guidance, for example, by attending relevant training courses.

This contributes to their secure understanding of a wide range of forms of abuse and neglect. They know the signs that can indicate that a child is at risk from harm. Well-understood procedures to record and report any concerns about a child's welfare help to ensure that families that need support receive it quickly.

Staff hold paediatric first-aid qualifications, which helps them to deal with accidents appropriately. Managers review accident records, as part of their risk assessments, to identify and eliminate any potential hazards.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of adult-led activities, so that staff can focus their teaching more precisely on what children of different abilities need to learn model rich and varied language more consistently to help children use and understand an even greater range of words.

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