Christopher Robin Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy the time they spend in this welcoming Montessori nursery.

They make good progress from their starting points because staff plan activities that support children's next steps in learning. There is a strong key-person system in place and staff know the children well. Staff provide stimulating environments that help children to settle quickly into play.

Staff have high expectations for all children and, as aa result, children develop good skills to support their future learning. They learn to manage tasks for themselves, such as helping to chop fruit, washing up their plates and cups, and dressing themselve...s for outdoor play. This helps children to develop good self-confidence and independence.

All children enjoy exploring in the garden as they develop physical skills and learn about the natural world.Older children show high levels of curiosity and concentrate for long periods of time on specific tasks. For example, they carefully place magnetic shapes together and try different combinations to create shapes and structures.

Staff offer lots of praise, celebrating children's achievements and promoting their self-confidence. However, they are not as skilled at developing children's mathematical language and concepts.Children are kind and caring towards each other and their behaviour is good.

They resolve any minor issues effectively and show respect for others. This results in a very happy, relaxed and busy atmosphere within the nursery.

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

Staff working with babies are caring and attentive.

They ensure routines from home are well known and followed. This helps babies to develop strong attachments. Babies show that they feel safe and secure.

They approach staff for comfort and engage with visitors to the nursery. Babies enjoy lots of sensory stimulation. They explore textures, such as oats and sawdust, as part of planned activities.

Staff support them well. They join in and act as good role models.Young children play well together and form close friendships.

They learn to share and take turns as they play games in small groups and demonstrate that they understand simple rules. Children are encouraged to share their views and contribute their ideas. This shows that staff value their opinions and encourage children to have good self-confidence.

These attributes help children become ready for managing change within the nursery and for the eventual move to school.Staff's interactions with children are positive and effective overall. They respond to sounds young babies make and motivate them by repeating and emphasising key words.

They sing songs and rhymes throughout the day. Babies respond as they clap and copy actions. Parents speak highly of the nursery.

They say that staff are welcoming and caring and get to know their children extremely well, through the targeted settling-in programme.Children benefit from plenty of activities to support their physical development. They enjoy healthy foods during sociable meals and choose when they play outside in the fresh air.

They take manageable risks as they negotiate the climbing frame and enjoy jumping in muddy puddles. Staff provide fun activities, such as 'play foam', to help children develop their hand muscles and future writing skills. However, on occasions, staff do not engage some quieter children when they wander around, to involve them and motivate them to learn more from the activities.

The manager supports positive staff well-being and motivation through regular supervisions and productive staff meetings. She evaluates the quality of the curriculum provided, and the use of space, successfully to make improvements. For example, using this information, staff have developed the organisation of resources and removed excess furniture to ensure children have the most available space to play and explore.

Staff promote children's communication and language skills well, including those who speak English as an additional language. For instance, they involve children in engaging conversations and questions when labelling parts of the body, and older children remember where their 'oesophagus' is. However, staff do not consistently support older children to deepen their learning in some areas, particularly to extend children's early interest in mathematical language and concepts.

Staff are positive role models who are kind, respectful and caring. They teach children to understand and follow simple rules and the importance of sharing and collaborating with one another. Therefore, children are very well behaved and caring, and they develop valuable social skills for their future lives.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and the staff team understand how to identify the signs and symptoms that could indicate a child is at risk. They clearly understand how to report any concerns about children's welfare or the behaviour of another adult.

They have a broad understanding of wider safeguarding issues and how to identify and report any concerns. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that all staff are suitable. Thorough induction and ongoing support from the manager ensure staff remain alert to their responsibility to keep children safe.

Staff are vigilant in their supervision of children. Continual risk assessment of the play areas, inside and outside, promotes children's safety.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop staff's knowledge and understanding of how to extend children's early interest in mathematical language and concepts provide more support to engage and include quieter children in activities, to motivate them to learn even more.

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