Caterpillars Childcare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children thrive in this nurturing and calm nursery. They make outstanding progress in their learning and development. Staff are enthusiastic and welcoming, ensuring children quickly settle to join in the range of exciting experiences the nursery has to offer.

Children benefit from excellent support from staff who understand each child's interests. The highly ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum develops children's learning. It deepens children's understanding as it builds carefully on previous learning and creates challenge.

For example, following an interest in the night sky, children use their imagination a...s they experiment with paints and colours, making their own interpretations of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. The quality of teaching is excellent. Staff empower children to use their skills to think and investigate, to develop their curiosity and interests.

Children are highly engaged and show a real passion for learning.Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour, and they encourage children to recall the rules of the nursery before they play. For example, children know how many can play in the home corner at any one time.

They know to be gentle with books and to take care when turning the pages. Children have an excellent understanding of the rules and consequences, helping them to stay safe and respect their environment. Staff support children to be independent.

Children carry their chairs to circle time, peel fruit and pour drinks. Staff skilfully support younger children to carry out these tasks, ensuring that they develop their emerging skills and promoting their self-esteem.

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

Children flourish through the secure emotional attachments they have with their key person, who knows the children and families extremely well.

Staff plan carefully for each individual child, using their starting points and interests. They work with outside professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ensures all children make excellent progress from their starting points.

The experienced manager is passionate and inspiring. She goes above and beyond to support families and children. She motivates and enthuses her team to be the best it can be.

Staff feel they are well supported. All staff have opportunities to undertake professional development and have recently undertaken training in autism, special needs and safeguarding. This helps staff to further develop their already excellent teaching skills.

Children have exceptional language skills. They form complex sentences and learn to pronounce words and sounds correctly. They have a vast vocabulary and use words in context.

For example, toddlers use words such as 'massive' and 'construct' in their play. Staff are excellent role models for communication.At every opportunity, there is a song to support an activity, and children quickly learn rhymes and sayings.

Children learn words and phrases in languages different from their own. This promotes children to recall and remember. The language-rich environment enhances children's vocabulary and helps them to become confident communicators.

Parent partnership is exemplary. Parents are very involved in every stage of their child's learning. They discuss children's starting points and learning needs in detail at every stage of their child's transition through the nursery.

Staff organise half-term stay-and-play sessions for parents to come into the nursery and look at their children's development folders and discuss the children's ongoing learning. Parents are very complimentary about the nursery and the staff. They state how they are very well informed and share in learning activities.

They value how their children experience so many great educational and learning opportunities.Staff provide children with an abundance of opportunities to extend their knowledge and skills. For example, some children work together and problem-solve as they build houses for the three little pigs.

They extend their physical skills in yoga sessions or outdoors as they climb, balance and take risks as they negotiate the milk crate assault course. Others sit in the quiet corner, looking at books. They talk to staff and their friends about the pictures and recall the stories.

As a result, children develop in all areas of the curriculum and build on the skills they need for their next stage of learning.Children's care needs meet the same high standards as their learning needs. Staff are nurturing and supportive.

They place a strong emphasis on children's health and well-being. Children bring their own packed lunch, and they sit together to have a social mealtime. They have access to water throughout the day.

For children that need sleep, there is a quiet, calm area that provides comfort. Staff stay with the children to provide comfort and reassurance as they sleep.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers and staff understand the signs and symptoms of abuse and can explain how to make a referral should they feel a child is at risk of harm. They also know the procedures to take should there be an allegation made about a colleague or committee member. Staff have regular training on safeguarding and paediatric first aid.

There is a strong recruitment procedure in place, ensuring the staff and the committee members are deemed safe to work with children. Children are actively involved in their own risk assessment and start to understand how to look after themselves. The environment is safe and secure, and resources are clean and well maintained.