Cherry Tree Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children and babies are warmly welcomed by a friendly, nurturing staff team.

Children develop trusting relationships with staff, who care for them. They accept hugs and reassurance to help them settle. Children show that they feel safe and secure.

Children are confident and motivated to learn and show they are curious and inquisitive in their play. Babies concentrate for sustained periods when they explore natural resources. They are curious about this new texture and try to pick it up carefully with their fingers.

Toddlers have fun exploring the different textures and sizes of shells. They extend their vocabu...lary, learning new words such as 'spiky' and 'smooth'. These activities help to strengthen the small muscles in their hands in readiness for early mark making.

All children have daily opportunities to spend time in the outdoor area. They are supported to learn about self-care by getting dressed in appropriate footwear and clothing. Older children develop their physical skills as they ride trikes, climb tyres and wash the ride-on cars.

Older babies enjoy running and playing in the water, mud and sand. Children learn to behave well and show respect for staff, the learning environment, visitors and each other.The motivated management team designs a varied curriculum, putting children at its centre.

Staff work well together and have positive discussions about children and the progress they make. From this, they have a good understanding of how children learn and how to prepare them for their next stage of learning in their education.

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

The management team and staff support children's developing communication and language skills well.

They introduce new words as children play, which helps to build on children's vocabulary and understanding. They give children time to think and respond to questions. Babies enjoy moving their bodies as staff sing nursery rhymes.

Older children and some toddlers are keen to ask questions. Children of school age have additional time for small-group work, where they learn how to recall stories and learn about people in the community, which helps to prepare them for their eventual move to school.Staff identify and take effective steps to help close gaps in children's learning.

They know the importance of supporting children's additional needs and working with outside professionals when needed. Staff have good partnerships with local agencies. This helps them to work together successfully in support of children and their families.

All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding, make good progress from their individual starting points.Partnerships with parents are good. Parents know about what their children are learning at nursery through the online system and daily communication.

Support information, such as toilet training, and discussions between parents and staff help parents to extend their children's learning at home. Parents comment that their children are happy and enjoy attending the nursery.The management team demonstrates good self-evaluation procedures, and managers continually reflect with staff and parents on their practice.

The management team provides staff support through regular one-to-one meetings, and staff report that managers show an awareness of workload and staff well-being. However, the management team does not have consistent supervision practices in place to support and train staff to provide continuous improvement to the quality of teaching, to further benefit children's learning.All children have good opportunities to make their own decisions about who, what and where they want to play.

Staff teach children to make choices and encourage them to take risks and do things for themselves. For example, older children vote for which story they would like read.Children enjoy mealtimes, which are social events.

Staff promote and encourage healthy eating and support children to develop their independence. For instance, they help young children to make food choices and provide them with small tasks, such as carrying their plates to the table. Staff are aware of children's dietary needs and preferences.

Good personal hygiene practices are in place. Children routinely wash their hands before eating and use good manners.All children take part in some one-to-one sessions, small-group work and adult-led activities, which are age-appropriate.

However, when babies move from one activity to the next, they sometimes become distracted and disengaged, as the changeover often takes too long, which does not always support their emotional development effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff understand their responsibilities to keep children safe.

They teach children to risk assess the premises and outdoor environment to check they are safe and secure. Leaders and staff show a good knowledge of child protection issues and know how to respond promptly and appropriately when concerns arise about the welfare of a child in their care. Staff attend regular safeguarding and child protection training and have good opportunities to refresh their knowledge on a regular basis.

Staff are aware that some families may be vulnerable to extreme views or ideas. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that appropriate checks are completed to determine the suitability of employees.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide effective supervisions to support, coach and train staff to provide continuous improvement to benefit children nadapt daily routines for babies, particularly when moving between activities, to further support their emotional development.