Cedar House Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children at this nursery are incredibly happy, content and well adjusted. Toddlers are always smiling and giggling with excitement as they play.

Older children have high-quality interactions and interesting conversations with staff and their friends. Staff are highly skilled and support children in forming exceptionally strong emotional bonds. They have high expectations for children's behaviour and encourage them to treat each other and the environment with kindness and respect.

Staff know their key children incredibly well and take care of their individual needs and interests. For instance, toddlers eagerly pl...ay with each other in the pasta kitchen, where they mix, fill, empty and stir, and in turn, develop their social and fine motor skills. Staff plan activities that cover all areas of the curriculum to excite and engage children.

They use props and puppets and read stories in an exciting, engaging and expressive way. After hearing a familiar story, children enthusiastically go on a pretend bear hunt in the nursery's garden and discuss various aspects of it, such as if the river was 'shallow' or 'deep'. Older children are highly confident and expressive communicators who use a wide range of vocabulary.

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) exceptionally well. Senior leaders are proactive in seeking out specialist support and resources to help them to make the best possible progress. All children acquire excellent skills in preparation for their next stage of learning.

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

Staff have expert knowledge of how to promote children's learning. They provide children with an extensive range of exciting and imaginative activities. Staff are highly effective at monitoring children's development.

This ensures that they identify any gaps in children's learning promptly so that outcomes for children are outstanding. Children make high levels of progress in their learning, including children with SEND and those in receipt of additional funding.Leaders report that the future of the nursery remains uncertain and challenging.

However, since the last inspection, all staff are now aware of the current uncertainty surrounding the nursery's future, which enables them to make informed personal choices. In addition, leaders have taken a proactive approach and reviewed several key policies, including the nursery's safeguarding policy, to ensure that staff always support children's well-being.Children develop a deep love of reading through daily opportunities to listen to stories and rhymes.

They select books twice a week to take home and eagerly discuss the stories after reading them in their small groups. Toddlers have a wonderful time as they explore chalk, cornflour, small-world and interactive toys. This helps them to build on their natural exploratory impulse and learn wonderfully through their senses.

Older children develop exceptional abilities to develop their problem-solving skills. They engage in games that involve matching and talking about colours, words and numbers. Children also create complex models, such as robots and ships, with construction.

Children persevere and take time to identify the correct shapes and connectors they need to complete their model.Close relationships with their key person help children develop a strong sense of belonging, their emotional well-being and high levels of confidence. This leads to children's exemplary behaviour.

For example, children confidently wait their turn in group discussions and readily help their friends to complete tasks.Children demonstrate their excellent independence skills as they put on their aprons before messy play, cut up their fruit and serve themselves milk and water. Children also use an excellent range of outdoor equipment and free, safe and open space to promote their physical skills exceptionally well.

For example, toddlers push dolls in buggies and thoroughly enjoy games, such as mini-football and netball.Parents speak extremely highly of staff and appreciate the detailed information they receive about their child's day. Parents comment that they feel staff at the nursery really love working with their children.

They also mention that their children make excellent progress, which they attribute to the excellent teaching provided by staff. Staff make sure that parents are actively involved in their child's learning.Leaders are dedicated and highly professional and support staff extremely well.

This is evident in the long-standing and committed staff, some of whom have worked at the nursery for over 20 years.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

Also at this postcode