Blofield Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy as they arrive.

They settle quickly, greeting staff and their friends confidently. They build good bonds with staff from the start. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.

They are confident to explore and are eager to join in with activities. Staff adapt their teaching to reflect children's individual stage of development and their learning styles. For instance, staff ensure the outdoor environment provides children who prefer to learn outside with good opportunities to explore and learn.

Staff know children well and take time to find out about children's interests and what the...y can do on entry. This helps staff to plan effectively to build on what children already know and to support their emotional well-being. Children behave well.

They listen to staff and follow instructions, for instance when it is time to tidy up. Staff help children to understand about taking turns and to share toys from an early age. Children learn about their feelings and how their actions may affect their friends.

They show respect and kindness towards each other and the staff.Children enjoy taking part in activities and making choices in their play. They confidently talk to staff, listen to stories and join in with songs and rhymes.

Children gain the key skills to support the next stage in their learning and their eventual move to school.

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

Leaders have promptly addressed the weakness identified at the last inspection. They have robust processes in place to check the suitability of adults working with children and adults living on the premises.

Leadership is strong. Staff benefit from regular supervision meetings that focus on developing their knowledge and skills. Staff are encouraged to gain further professional childcare qualifications.

They state that they are well supported to maintain a good work and home life balance. The manager ensures staff are deployed well. Children are supervised by staff at all times.

Staff place a firm focus on helping children make good progress in communication and language development. For instance, they introduce new words, such as 'sparkly' and 'glittery', as they talk to children who are using craft materials. Staff working with babies name objects and narrate their actions.

They sing songs as children climb and explore. Children benefit from the repetition of hearing the songs and quickly join in. Babies move their bodies to the rhythm, demonstrating their enjoyment.

The environment is well organised and enables children to freely select toys and resources, including a wide range of books. Children show familiarity with stories as they anticipate key words and phrases when staff read to them. They proudly show the inspector their drawings and the letters they are beginning to write that form their name.

Staff encourage children to count and use number as they play. Children count their fingers confidently as they create mehndi designs. However, staff are less focused on supporting children's understanding of early mathematical concepts, such as space and measure.

Staff work well in partnership with parents. They provide parents with regular information about their child's progress and how to support children's ongoing learning at home. Parents are very positive about the staff.

They state that their children are happy and enjoy coming to nursery.Staff build good links with the schools that children will move to. They work well with reception teachers to support children's emotional well-being at this time of change.

However, staff have not fully established effective partnership working with all early years providers that children also attend. This means that staff do not have as full a picture as possible about some children's overall progress.Children have good opportunities to learn about people and communities that are different to their own.

For instance, they explore festivals such as Diwali and Halloween in detail. This helps children to understand their similarities and differences and promotes equality and respect towards others.Staff are attentive to children's needs.

They respond promptly when children become boisterous. Staff use effective methods to channel children's energy into purposeful play. This helps children to develop positive attitudes to learning and to consider the impact of their actions on others and the environment.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff attend regular training about child protection and wider safeguarding issues. The manager provides staff with regular updates.

She frequently tests staff's knowledge about safeguarding issues and the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child's welfare. Staff confidently fulfil their role to protect children from harm. The manager follows rigorous recruitment processes to help to assure the suitability of adults working with children and adults living on the premises.

The premises are safe and secure. Staff check that the equipment used is safe and fit for purpose.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance the teaching of mathematics to help children gain a secure understanding of early concepts relating to space and measure nenhance partnership working with other providers that children also attend.