Buntings Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled in the nursery. They make choices about what to play with. They use their imaginations to create 'monsters' from construction pieces.

Staff promote children's physical development well. Babies use carefully placed furniture to balance and move around. Older children love jumping in puddles and acting out a favourite story.

Staff help children to recall the words, and the children giggle, saying, 'Splash, splosh', as they go through the mud. Staff help children to develop their balancing skills as they climb on ladders and large tyres.Staff are good role models, and they help children to u...nderstand the rules.

They consistently give children encouragement. Children develop their confidence and social skills as they play together. Older children are beginning to help their friends understand the rules.

For example, while cutting shapes in play dough, children tell their friends, 'Sharing is caring'. Staff build strong attachments and understand their role as key persons. Children are well cared for and have the attention and support they need.

Children have a flexible settling-in period when they move to new rooms. Staff support children's transition from nursery to the next stage of their education.

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

Leaders and staff work well as a team to ensure that children get a good start to their early education.

They have regular staff meetings and opportunities to share their views and opinions. Thorough inductions and mentoring sessions help to ensure that staff understand their responsibilities well. Staff attend regular training courses to continuously improve their knowledge.

The manager has designed a curriculum to meet children's differing needs. Staff plan learning experiences for children that support them to build on what they already know and can do. Staff use a blend of adult-led activities and child-led play.

Occasionally, some planned activities are not organised as well as they could be to help children gain the skills they need. For example, while playing a matching game, children become absorbed but are unable to finish the game because pieces are missing. This results in children losing their focus.

Staff understand the importance of developing children's communication and language skills. Staff sing rhymes to babies, who show their enjoyment by waving their arms. They engage in discussion and introduce new words as children play.

For example, while creating their own gingerbread-shaped play dough, staff talk about the cinnamon and ginger scents. However, there are occasions when staff do not model the correct pronunciation of words, particularly when using sign language. For example, children hear 'pease' for 'please', which can be confusing for children with growing vocabulary.

This does not ensure that children learn the accurate pronunciation of all words.Children behave well. They respect one another's space as they crowd around the floor activity.

They are starting to share resources and take turns. Staff remind children of rules, such as using their 'listening ears'. They provide a soothing approach to children who become frustrated when they cannot find the words to explain what they need.

Staff help children to calm down and ask them to show them what they need.Staff support children to be independent. They encourage children to wash their hands and eat with cutlery during mealtimes.

Younger children are eager to get themselves ready to go into the garden by selecting their waterproof suit and wellington boots.Parents give high praise to staff for the level of support their children and family receive. They feel that their children make good progress in their learning and development.

They enjoy the regular photos and ideas about how to support children's learning at home.Staff have tailored plans in place to help meet children's individual needs. There is a special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) in place.

She has established good links with other professionals. This ensures that children's care and learning needs are well met.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The management team ensures that staff have regular safeguarding training. The team checks staff's understanding during supervisions and team meetings. This means staff have good safeguarding knowledge.

Staff are confident and clear about who to contact should they have a safeguarding concern. The manager observes that staff use risk assessment well in the setting and on outings to keep children safe. Staff check regularly on sleeping children.

Staff have current paediatric first-aid certificates. They teach children about personal safety during everyday activities and routines.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to strengthen the delivery of planned activities to ensure resources are appropriate for the children taking part to help them achieve the maximum learning build on staff's awareness of how to promote children's communication skills, including modelling language, to help children make further progress in their communication and language.