Care With Cuddles

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Parents and children are greeted warmly at the door by a member of staff. Children enter the nursery happy, relaxed and ready for their day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents no longer come into the nursery.

Despite this, children are confident to leave their parents at the door. The manager has clear intentions for children's learning. Staff's interactions with children are good and activities are interesting.

For example, younger children experiment with oats, flour, spoons and different sized containers. Staff talk to children about the marks that they can see. They encourage children to use mathematical vocabul...ary when they talk about filling and emptying.

Staff encourage children to explore and use their imagination. For example, older children enjoy stretching, pulling and manipulating play dough. They pretend to make birthday cakes and add dry spaghetti as candles and cereal as cake toppings.

Children behave well and are kind to each other. Staff build on children's self-esteem and confidence through praise and encouragement. They support children to be independent.

For example, younger children select their own resources such as spoons and scoops to use in the creative area. Older children help to set the table for lunch and make choices about their own drinks and fruit at snack time. Staff provide children with a variety of activities, including time in the garden, singing, dancing and pretend play games.

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

Staff think carefully about how children are introduced to nursery, and they have good settling-in procedures in place. This helps children to develop secure relationships with staff.Parents speak highly of the manager and her team.

They comment about how much progress their children have made at nursery. For example, parents comment on how much language children now have and how their physical skills have developed.The manager reflects on the needs of children.

For example, she says that during the pandemic, some children have not had the opportunity to be independent or develop friendships. Staff follow a curriculum that supports children's emotional development. The impact of this is evident.

Children are happy, know about routines and enjoy the company of others.Staff well-being is of paramount importance to the manager. She keeps in regular contact with her team, supports them through individual supervision sessions and identifies a number of professional development courses.

Staff comment that they feel supported and valued.Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is well coordinated. Staff work well with parents and other professionals, such as portage and speech and language therapists.

This helps them to implement specific strategies to help children to make the best possible progress.Children experience regular French lessons. Younger children enjoy singing and dancing to the familiar French songs and rhymes.

Older children show how they understand and talk about the use of languages from other countries. For example, they use words such as 'bonjour', 'au revoir' and 'merci' in the right context, and talk about their plate at lunchtime being 'red' or 'rouge' in French.Staff talk to children about how to safely use resources.

For example, they explain why they need to be careful when moving the large wooden construction bricks around. Children respond by lifting and moving them gently.Staff provide and implement a broad and balanced curriculum.

They observe and assess children's learning regularly. Staff generally have a good understanding of how children learn, and use this to provide appropriate experiences.Staff help to develop children's communication skills by modelling the correct pronunciation of words and adding extra words.

For example, when children talk about the spoons, staff repeat 'yes the big spoon'. However, sometimes, staff ask too many questions in quick succession and do not give children the chance to think and respond.Staff do not always share precise information about learning and development for those children who spend time between toddlers and pre-school.

This can sometimes lead to some children not being consistently challenged in their learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff team have a secure knowledge of how to keep children safe.

The manager makes sure staff have access to regular child protection training, including information on identifying those at risk of being exposed to extreme views and behaviours. Staff can recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and have a secure understanding of where and when they would report any concerns. They can confidently explain procedures to follow if there was an allegation made against a member of staff.

The manager has kept in regular contact with families during the pandemic and has a secure procedure in place if children do not attend. This helps to keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: build on staff's questioning techniques so that they consistently give children time to respond and develop their thinking and language skills more effectively refine transition arrangements for children moving between rooms, to ensure all staff are aware of what they want children to learn, know and do.