Claremont Neighbourhood 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 this good nursery. They settle quickly and are eager to seek out play opportunities.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders continue to prioritise creating a nurturing environment. An effective key-person system allows staff to support children's confidence and emotional well-being. For example, children know that they can approach staff for reassurance and for a cuddle.

Children have positive attitudes towards their learning. They develop their own ideas and imaginations while they play. For example, children feed bottles to dolls.

They use wooden blocks to make a house, ...pointing out the steps and saying that 'We can walk down them.' Children show good small-muscle skills as they use pencils to make pictures and while pressing pieces of play dough on their fingernails to make 'painted nails'. Children build their mathematical knowledge, such as when describing the cars which are 'stuck', saying that there are 'lots'.

They show good large-muscle skills while using tricycles and scooters outdoors. Babies are eager to fill buckets with sand using spades. They say 'yay' with delight as they pour water from containers.

Babies develop their core strength and learn to take their first steps.

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

Leaders are passionate in their vision of 'every child matters'. They aim to provide children with a language-rich environment and opportunities for outdoor learning.

Self-evaluation includes the views of children, parents and staff. This helps leaders to reflect on how to further improve the nursery.Children, including those with funded places and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress.

In the main, staff provide children with a balanced curriculum, following their interests and building on their prior knowledge. For example, children excitedly enact the roles of firefighters and use a hosepipe to 'put out the fire'. However, the implementation of some activities does not always fully promote children's engagement in learning, or further extend their knowledge and skills.

This means that children do not consistently make the best possible progress.Overall, staff support children's communication, language and literacy development well. They sing songs to children throughout the day and encourage them to develop a love of books.

Staff model new words and children repeat these while they play. For example, babies repeat the word 'drip' as they watch cornflour drip from their hands.Children behave well.

They are well mannered and show curiosity towards visitors, for example, when waving at the inspector and greeting him with a smile. Children play well with their friends and show pride in their achievements, such as when building a big tower together.Children learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others.

For example, they learn about St Patrick's Day and dress up to celebrate Pride. Children go on the bus to visit places in the local community. These opportunities help to prepare children for life in modern Britain.

Care practices are good. Staff prioritise children's independence from the earliest age. For example, babies learn to use cutlery to eat home-cooked, nutritious food.

They help to tidy toys away. Older children serve their own food and help to sweep the floor after lunch. They learn to climb stairs safely and show a sense of belonging as they put their drawings into their own pigeonhole.

Partnership working is strong. Leaders make links with schools and external professionals. Parents report that they could not be happier with the nursery.

They say that their children are 'seen as individuals' and that staff are 'an extension of our support network'.Staff work in a close-knit team. They comment that the nursery is 'like a big family'.

Staff feel valued through schemes, such as 'employee of the month' and 'shout out' awards. Leaders ensure that staff complete mandatory training, for example, in paediatric first aid. That said, the programme of professional development is not highly focused to support staff in further developing their knowledge and skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The premises are safe and secure. Leaders follow robust recruitment procedures, which ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

They make sure that staff access up-to-date training in safeguarding and that they understand the nursery's policies and procedures. For example, leaders ask staff questions to check their understanding. Staff know the local authority referral procedure and understand how to help protect children from harm.

They know the steps to follow if there are any concerns around children's welfare or the conduct of a colleague. Staff understand safeguarding issues, such as neglect and sporadic attendance.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: sharpen the feedback given to staff around their practice, to fully promote children's engagement in learning and to help them to make the best possible progress strengthen the programme of professional development to support staff in further developing their knowledge and skills.