Castle House Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children who attend this nursery are happy and settle well.

They are confident to voice their ideas and share their achievements. Pre-school children chat happily to visitors and are keen to show them the pictures they have drawn of a Pterodactyl. They successfully initiate their own play as they draw a map and pretend to swim through the water to hunt for treasure.

Children are generally motivated and eager to take part in activities. Babies are enthusiastic to take part in a singing activity, and wait with great anticipation to see which picture comes out of the song bag. They are encouraged to copy simple actions an...d demonstrate their excitement as they bounce up and down, screaming with delight and clapping their hands together to pop Tiny Tim the turtle's soap bubble.

Children develop close relationships with staff and their peers, and actively seek them out to join in their play. They develop self-esteem as they receive copious amounts of encouragement and praise from staff. Children behave well.

They learn to share and take turns in their play. All children make good progress in their learning from their individual starting points. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well.

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

The nursery benefits from a strong, cohesive management team. Although they have only been in post for a short time, they have already made significant changes. They are forward thinking and have a clear vision for the future.

Managers continually evaluate and monitor practice and set pertinent action plans to ensure that quality continues to improve. Although several changes have already been put in place, these need to be fully embedded into practice.Managers work to staff's strengths and are wholly supportive of them.

They encourage staff to attend training to enhance their professional development. Managers have high expectations of the amount of training staff are expected to undertake. Staff cascade what they have learned to the whole staff group so that all staff develop a well-rounded and broad knowledge.

Staff say they feel supported and have noticed positive changes in the past few months.Managers have a clear view of the curriculum and what they expect children to learn. They have recently introduced a new planning system and are monitoring the impact of this to ensure that it is effective in enhancing children's learning and development even further.

Most staff interact positively and fully engage with children. However, occasionally, staff working with the older children do not fully involve themselves during group time to explain the purpose of the activity or model active learning. Consequently, children do not participate fully as they are unsure what is expected of them.

Relationships between staff and children are caring. Children seek staff out for a cuddle if they are upset or need reassurance. New children are provided with lots of support and attention to help them settle.

Even the newest members of staff know their key children well. They know how they can support them and how to move them forward in their learning.Staff help children to learn about the importance of being kind to their friends.

Older children listen to a story that teaches them that hands are not for hitting. They talk about how they feel if someone is unkind to them, and staff reinforce the need to speak to someone they can trust if they are frightened or worried.Managers act on concerns that are raised and implement changes to practice in response to these.

Significant changes have been made to the start of the day and parents are now informed of the ratios that must be adhered to.Children who have allergies and/or dietary requirements are exceptionally well supported. Each child has a coloured table mat so that staff can immediately tell whether they have an allergy or a dietary need.

Managers are working hard to develop more positive relationships with parents. They have introduced 'meet the managers' sessions and an open-door policy to actively encourage a two-way flow of communication with parents. Furthermore, they have introduced a new online system to share information and keep parents up to date with their child's learning.

Parents spoken to are vigorous in their praise for the new managers and are exceptionally pleased with the changes that have already taken place.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a clear overview of the signs that may indicate a child is being abused.

All staff regularly attend safeguarding training. They know the procedures to follow to raise any concerns, including if they have concerns about a member of staff. Managers regularly test staff's knowledge, through questions and scenarios, to gauge their responses and ensure appropriate training is implemented if needed.

Safeguarding is given high priority during the induction of new staff so that all staff are secure in their knowledge. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that everyone working with the children are safe and suitable to do so.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nembed further the recent changes to ensure that practice remains consistently strong and continues to improve support staff in the pre-school room to organise and model group time activities more effectively, to ensure all children are able to fully participate and understand what is expected of them.