Bubbles Nursery Bexley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children and their families receive a genuine warm welcome when they arrive at the inviting nursery. The secure nursery provides a gradual settling-in process.

This helps children to form strong attachments with staff and settle quickly. Parents comment on how well the staff accommodate their children's needs. For instance, staff develop their knowledge of sign language to support babies.

Children develop good communication and language skills and build on their emotional well-being. Although staff gather information about languages children speak, they do not provide a range of opportunities to ensure children's cultu...res and backgrounds are reflected throughout the nursery effectively. Staff have high expectations of children.

They provide a wide range of activities which motivate children to learn. Children behave well and are happy. They show high levels of interest as they explore activities using natural materials and resources.

For instance, babies enjoy exploring animals hidden in hay. Older children discuss the names of different animals they find in the sand and ice blocks, such as the 'cheetah' and 'gorilla'. Children are supported well to extend their vocabulary.

They have daily access to the outdoor area. For instance, young children develop their physical skills while older children enjoy hunting for bugs and insects.

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

Children are well prepared for their next stage in their learning and eventual move to school.

Parents and staff work together to highlight children's achievements and progress. For instance, parents share any progress at home with the nursery. Older children take great delight in receiving a certificate after featuring on the 'proud cloud'.

This builds on children's confidence and self-esteem well.Staff use their observations and monitoring to track children's development. They work closely with parents and professionals to help close the gaps in their learning.

Children are making good progress from their starting points. However, staff do not use information gathered about children's languages and heritage as well as they could to extend children's learning in the diverse nursery setting.Staff support children to develop their fine motor skills.

Older children show this as they make play dough. They manipulate different utensils when they roll, cut and measure. Staff challenge children to work things out for themselves.

For instance, they ask what they need to add to achieve the right texture and consistency of the dough. Children relish the opportunity to show their counting skills. They confidently count the 10 points on the cookie cutter.

Children develop good mathematical skills.Toddlers develop their imaginative skills in the role-play area. Staff use this space well to support children who transition from one room to another.

They describe it as 'a home-from-home environment'. Toddlers sustain their interest as they dress and change nappies with a range of dolls. Staff support children to share and take turns as they learn how to care for others.

In addition, they are developing good self-help skills for the future.Managers have a clear, ambitious vision for the setting. They have an action plan in place to support the challenges of recruiting high-quality staff.

Temporary and permanent staff report that they feel well supported by the managers. However, managers do not have consistent supervision arrangements in place to support staff development and raise the quality of teaching skills.Managers evaluate their practice.

They share feedback and responses from staff and parents well, for example using a display with speech bubbles showing 'you said, we did'. This enables managers to review the setting and address strengths and weakness.Staff use a range of methods to support children's physical development both inside and outside.

For instance, children benefit from developing their muscles and skills during weekly sessions with a professional coach.Children are active learners who confidently move around the nursery and select from the wide range of open-ended activities. For example, babies print with real food.

Staff encourage children to develop their language skills and have a themed colour each week. They teach them words such as 'broccoli' and 'apple'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The management team ensures that staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. Staff complete mandatory training regularly. They are aware of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm.

Staff know the steps to take if they are concerned about a child's welfare. The management follows robust recruitment procedures to ensure staff are suitable. Additionally, new staff follow an induction process that supports them in understanding their roles and responsibilities.

This helps to keep children safe. For instance, staff have a list of safeguarding contact numbers in their pocket at all times for easy access.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus on supporting staff in their professional development to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high standard nincrease the diversity of experiences and resources, to help children learn more about different cultures.