Bluebells Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and engaged at nursery. Close staff interaction helps them to quickly become immersed in play and learning. Staff provide a safe, well-resourced learning environment that enables children to freely select resources and initiate their own play.

Babies explore the texture of natural materials and enjoy playing in the exciting sensory play area. Older children are motivated and enthusiastic as they delight in using their imaginations to make potions in the water tray. They begin to understand simple mathematical concepts as they pour and measure, adding colour to the mixture and watching the changes.

Ch...ildren benefit from a range of experiences that develop their independence and cooperation. This encourages children's enthusiasm for learning and supports their emotional well-being. For example, they take great pride when staff give them extra responsibility as they help serve the lunches and pour drinks for their friends.

This supports children effectively to develop important skills that will help them in their future learning and at school. Staff have a sound knowledge of how children learn and make regular observations of children as they play. New systems have been introduced to support staff with their assessments of children's development and to ensure that this information is consistently used to plan for each child's next steps in learning.

Staff praise children's achievements and ensure that these are shared with parents. Parents particularly appreciate being able to share children's experiences at home in regular discussions with staff and using the online communication system.

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

Parents speak highly of managers and staff and of the support they provide to children and their families.

They say that staff work well to make sure that children are settled and self-assured. They appreciate the extra lengths staff go to so that they have a good knowledge of children's individual care needs and family circumstances.Children are actively engaged as they join in with keen interest during the group storytelling time.

Opportunities for children to hear and see their home languages in the setting and to integrate this into play are not so well developed.Leaders and managers have worked effectively to develop the provision since the last inspection. The provider has invested in staff training to improve outcomes for children and their families.

Staff appreciate the opportunities for training and for sharing their skills through observing each other. They say this helps identify where they can improve their practice, so that teaching is consistently of a high standard.Staff have developed strong links with external professionals, to create a shared approach to children's well-being and learning.

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well and provide additional support where needed to help close any gaps in their learning. For example, staff take advice from other professionals to support those children developing their speech and language.Children's emotional well-being is positively promoted as they build strong attachments with their key person.

Staff are consistent in their management of children's behaviour and make their expectations clear. Staff offer children praise and gentle reminders to encourage them to share and be kind to their friends. Children respond to this very well.

Leaders and managers understand the importance of children developing their physical skills and are currently in the process of developing the outdoor play provision. Children have regular opportunities to access the compact but well-resourced outdoor play areas to learn and explore. However, outings that include trips to outdoor spaces for larger physical play are currently less frequent.

Staff suitably promote healthy practices which support children's health and well-being. They teach children to wash their hands before eating and meals and snacks are nutritious and regularly reviewed. Staff carefully consider children's special dietary needs, preferences and allergies.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of how to safeguard and protect children. All staff participate in regular child protection training.

They know what to do if they have a concern about a child and understand the wider aspects of safeguarding. Staff maintain effective links with the local authority to protect children's welfare. They supervise children well and conduct thorough risk assessments of the premises to help keep all areas safe.

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of recruitment procedures and notification requirements. They check staff's ongoing suitability to work with children and monitor this regularly.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to develop the outdoor play provision to maximise the use of outdoor play to help promote the learning of children who prefer to learn outside further support children who speak English as an additional language to hear and see visual references to their home language and incorporate this within their play and learning.