Brooklands Childcare Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy the time they spend at this warm and welcoming nursery. They develop secure attachments with staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.

Babies giggle in delight as they play at the water tray. They spend time filling and emptying containers and splashing with their friends. Toddlers concentrate intently as they stack different-sized wooden rings and enjoy making marks using paint and brushes.

Pre-school children develop their imaginative skills as they go on a dinosaur hunt and create a dinosaur land with soil and leaves. Children are engaged and motivated and show positive attitudes to their ...learning. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making good progress and are developing essential skills for the future.

Staff have high expectations of children, especially regarding their behaviour. Clear, gentle and consistent reminders help children to learn what is expected of them. Children show an awareness of routine.

They help each other to tidy away resources, quickly following the instructions given by staff.Staff are very aware of the potential impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on young children. Children have been supported to develop their confidence in social situations, particularly in larger groups.

Children share, take turns and are happy and confident.

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

The setting has been through a period of significant change. Leaders have faced adverse challenges with recruitment.

The majority of the staff team have recently been recruited. Leaders have worked tirelessly to ensure that children have named key persons and that staff are able to talk confidently about children's individual characteristics and how they are supporting them in their learning. As a result, staff know their key children well.

They have detailed plans in place to further children's knowledge and skills across all areas of learning.Overall, staff support children's emerging communication and language skills well. Staff provide a running commentary as children play, which helps to give meaning to what children are doing.

They ensure that children are able to hear a rich variety of vocabulary as they model conversations and use descriptive language, labelling and repetition. However, occasionally, some staff do not ensure that they model the correct pronunciation of words to support children's emerging language skills further.Staff engage well with children as they play.

They ask thought-provoking questions that help encourage thinking. However, staff do not always correct any misconceptions in children's understanding. For example, when children count incorrectly or mispronounce words, staff do not take the opportunity to correct children's understanding.

Staff are very kind and caring in their approach. Children benefit from the warm and nurturing interactions. Staff are enthusiastic and playful, which helps to motivate children as they learn and try new things.

However, occasionally, staff are too quick to help children, rather than encouraging them to develop their own ideas and find their own solutions. For example, when children are building a train track, staff quickly assist them when two pieces do not link together.Children show a good awareness of hygiene procedures.

They immediately wash their hands after blowing their noses and talk about getting rid of the germs. Children have plenty of opportunities to engage in outdoor physical play, regardless of the weather. Babies and toddlers excitedly chase after bubbles.

Pre-school children develop their gross motor skills as they climb, balance and navigate the space available. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious snacks and meals. They learn the importance of dental hygiene and of drinking plenty of water.

The newly formed staff team is already working cohesively. Staff have regular meetings to reflect on their practice and the learning experiences that they provide for children. The manager makes good use of supervision meetings to support staff's well-being and to identify any professional development requirements.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a good knowledge of child protection issues. They are able to confidently identify the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm.

Staff fully understand who to contact if they have a concern about a child's safety or welfare. They complete regular training to help them to stay abreast of changes to legislation, policy and practice. They have a good understanding of safeguarding issues, including child exploitation and the 'Prevent' duty.

Staff ensure that the environment is safe and secure for children. They complete continuous risk assessments and deploy themselves effectively to ensure that children are supervised at all times.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: help staff to understand the importance of always modelling the correct pronunciation of words support staff to have the confidence to challenge misconceptions in children's learning refine the implementation of some activities so that children have opportunities to develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills further.