Cherrygrove Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and safe at the nursery. They benefit from strong key-person arrangements which help them to build close bonds with staff from the outset.

Children are well behaved. They develop positive attitudes to their learning. This is demonstrated by their fascination during sensory play.

For instance, younger children play with 'gloop'. They smile and wince as they squeeze it between their fingers and rub it along their skin. Children persevere when they are hesitant and staff encourage them to take risks such as exploring the feeling of 'sand mousse' in their hands.

Staff demonstrate a secure unders...tanding of the unique needs of the children who attend the nursery. They share high expectations for all children and organise their curriculum well to meet the needs of increasing number of children who speak English as an additional language. However, at times they do not fully support children to make choices and follow their own interests.

Staff recognise the need to provide strong opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. However, at times, they are not fully effective in recognising opportunities to challenge younger children's developing mobility.

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

Managers act with integrity, and they help staff to manage their workload well.

For example, they ensure that staff have time within the working day to meet the requirements of their role. They encourage staff to further their skills and arrange professional development opportunities within working hours.Staff recognise the unique needs of the children that attend, including the increasing numbers of families who speak English as an additional language.

Staff spend quality time with families before their children start. This helps them to find out about the languages children speak, the festivals they celebrate and the adaptations that parents need to support their understanding. Staff use the information they gather well to tailor their teaching and curriculum.

For instance, they use visual prompts effectively and plan opportunities for children to learn about other cultures and traditions.Staff develop positive partnerships with a range of professionals such as specialist teachers. They seek their advice and guidance effectively and plan targeted support for individual children.

This helps children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to achieve the best possible outcomes.Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour, and they help children to develop an awareness of rules and boundaries effectively. For example, all rooms follow the same set of simple rules.

Staff sensitively support children's interactions to promote these. Children benefit from targeted support, where needed, to help them to manage their feelings and behaviour.Children demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning.

Staff encourage children to make predictions about which items will float or sink in water. Children delight in discovering if their prediction is correct. However, occasionally, staff do not recognise when they are not fully effective in promoting opportunities for children to make choices in their own learning.

This impacts upon children's levels of interest.Staff enhance their curriculum effectively with a range of experiences which excite children and help to develop their understanding of the wider world. This is demonstrated when children meet gerbils and learn about how to handle and look after them.

Due to the landscape of the local area, children have restricted opportunities to play in flat open spaces. Managers recognise this and have made improvements to their provision to increase opportunities for physical play. For instance, they have created a flat outdoor space to enable children to learn to ride bicycles.

Staff provide children with helmets and talk to them about how wearing a helmet can help to keep them safe. Although managers have improved the range of opportunities for physical play, at times staff do not support the developing mobility of young children as well as they could.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers ensure that robust policies and procedures are in place to protect children's welfare. For example, they ensure that appropriately trained senior staff are always available to respond to concerns regarding children's welfare. Staff have a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of different types of abuse, including radical and extreme views and behaviours.

They understand the need to refer any concerns that they may have in order to protect children from harm. Staff are aware of whistleblowing procedures and understand their responsibility to report concerns regarding staff practice.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consistently promote opportunities for children to make choices in their own learning and follow their own interests review how to further promote opportunities for younger children to develop their growing physical skills.