Castle Top Private Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents

This provision is good • The long-standing, qualified and experienced staff team is committed and passionate about its role.

Staff provide children with a well-resourced and interesting environment and carefully planned activities that capture their interest. Children make good progress in their learning. • Staff offer support and professional advice to parents to help extend children's learning at home.

For example, staff provide well-targeted activities in children's 'home link' books to share at home. This contributes to the good progress children make. • Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour.

For example, they teach children that 'sharing is c...aring' and to be kind to each other. Children play cooperatively, and they laugh and giggle together. They behave very well.

• Children develop positive and trusting relationships with the staff who care for them. Staff gather comprehensive information from parents during initial settling-in sessions to gain knowledge of children's individual needs and care routines. Children's needs are well met.

• Teaching is strong in understanding the world. Children learn to care for the environment and living things. For example, they help to look after the nursery's pet rabbit by providing food, water and clean bedding.

• At times, some staff do not consistently challenge older and most-able children's mathematical thinking and knowledge to the highest possible levels. • While the quality of teaching is good, leaders' monitoring of staff's performance is not highly effective in helping staff to identify how they can raise the quality of their teaching to the highest level possible. • Although staff routinely monitor the progress made by individual children, systems for checking the progress made by different groups of children, to accurately check on any differences or gaps in learning, are not fully embedded.