Country Kids Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settle quickly at this nurturing and welcoming nursery. They have strong relationships with the staff, who know them well.

A robust key-person system is in place, which helps children to build and maintain secure bonds. These positive interactions ensure that children feel secure in the nursery. Children's interests and lived experiences are used as a foundation to learning and opportunities on offer.

For example, children in the toddler room have an interest in dinosaurs. Staff provide sensory activities, such as printing dinosaur footprints. This promotes language and builds on children's exist...ing interests and knowledge.

Children receive a balance of child-initiated play with adult-led activities. Adult-led activities provide continuous opportunity for children to develop their learning throughout the week. For example, children in each room take part in daily circle time to develop their communication and social skills.

A curriculum focus on communication ensures that all children, including the very youngest, make rapid progress. Children work together to solve problems. They ask their friends to help them when they are unable to open their packet at lunchtime.

Children play cooperatively. When minor disagreements occur, staff remind children to be kind to one another.

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

Managers and staff are clear on what they want children to learn and have a strong focus on the prime areas of learning.

Daily conversations are held between managers and staff to reflect on children's needs and interests. Communication and language are well supported at this nursery. For example, the manager and staff have developed cosy reading areas in each of the rooms and children hear a wide range of songs and rhymes.

Children develop their vocabulary through conversations with staff and their peers. Managers have a good understanding of the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement.Parent partnerships are a strength of this nursery.

Parents speak highly of the nursery, which they describe as a 'home from home'. They report positively on the progress their children make since attending the nursery and the dedication staff have towards getting to know their children. Parents say that they are kept well informed about their children's learning and development through daily discussions and via a secure online app.

Children's achievements are shared and celebrated through the use of 'wow' certificates, and staff show genuine delight at the progress children make.The curriculum for understanding the world is strong in relation to offering children a rich range of meaningful community experiences. For example children receive regular rugby coach lessons, go on trips to the local church and have visits from other professionals, such as a librarian and a farmer.

Children in the pre-school room have further opportunities to develop their understanding of the world as they observe the growth of beans through a clear plastic bag.The large outdoor play areas provide extensive opportunities for children to further their learning and development. There are opportunities for children to enhance their gross motor skills through swings, bicycles, balancing and climbing equipment.

Children are also supported to understand and manage risks.Children are confident and demonstrate a positive can-do attitude towards activities and learning. Staff's sensitive and timely approach to offering support enables children to persevere when challenges occur.

For example, children in the baby room persist when trying to navigate standing on the logs. Children in the toddler and pre-school room independently put their own shoes and coats on. Children in the pre-school room are becoming increasingly independent in toileting.

However, staff do not continuously promote independence relating to self-care. For example, children are not supported in understanding the importance of handwashing.Mathematical language is woven into everyday play.

Staff encourage children to practise reciting numbers in order. Opportunities to further develop children's understanding of number are provided as children progress through the nursery. For example, children in the pre-school room are able to identify numbers and are being supported to sequence numbers using a number line.

However, staff do not consistently extend other aspects of children's mathematical knowledge, such as shape, measure and size.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe.

They know the procedures to follow if they have a concern regarding a child's well-being or regarding another member of staff. The manager ensures that all staff complete regular safeguarding training to keep their knowledge up to date. Safeguarding knowledge includes topics such as female genital mutilation and the 'Prevent' duty.

Children are well supervised in the indoor and outdoor environments to ensure that they remain safe. Safer recruitment checks are carried out to confirm the suitability of staff working with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide further opportunities for children to understand the importance of good hygiene practices relating to self-help develop teaching skills even further to help children extend their knowledge of new mathematical concepts, including shape, measure and size.