Creekmoor Day Nursery Limited

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happily, and warm, caring staff greet them. They settle extremely well, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure.

Children behave well and follow the routines and expectations of the nursery. For example, they tidy away toys before moving to another activity. When minor disagreements occur, staff manage these effectively.

They quickly intervene, when needed, to explain the rules and why these are in place to help children learn to manage their own behaviour. Children show motivation to learn and are keen to explore. For example, babies watch closely as staff sing songs and join in with the actions.<...br/>
Older children search for insects with staff in the garden and learn about their habitats with great enthusiasm.Staff understand the importance of developing children's communication and language skills. They skilfully add new words as children play and during planned activities to extend children's vocabulary.

For example, staff use a Russian doll to teach children the language of size, such as bigger and smaller. Children learn to be independent in preparation for school. Older children put on their own coats and shoes and attend to their own toileting.

Staff have high expectations for children and organise learning to nurture their interests and help them make good progress. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their education, including school.

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

The manager plans the curriculum with a focus on developing children's communication and social skills.

Staff understand and implement the curriculum well. They use observation and assessment effectively to identify any gaps in children's development and take swift action to close them.The manager has taken action to rectify the weaknesses identified at the recent regulatory visit regarding safeguarding knowledge and practice.

All staff, including the designated safeguarding lead, now have a strong understanding of their role in keeping children safe, including how to report concerns about children's welfare or potential allegations made against staff.Staff read with enthusiasm to promote children's literacy skills and nurture a love of books. Older children listen intently and join in with the parts of the stories they know well.

Babies look at the pictures and touch the pages, showing an interest in books from an early age Staff support children's language development well. For example, they encourage children to tune into the sounds around them in preparation for later phonics learning in school. Staff working with younger children narrate their play to give their actions meaning.

The manager and the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator work closely with parents, staff and external agencies to ensure that children receive the support they need to make good progress. The manager spends extra funding with integrity, for example, to provide one-to-one staff for each child with special educational needs and/or disabilities and to purchase suitable resources.Children learn to attend to their own personal needs and to keep themselves and others healthy.

For example, toddlers independently access tissues to blow their own noses, put the tissues in the bin and then wash their hands to help prevent the spread of infection.Children learn early mathematics concepts that are suitable for their age. For example, staff encourage older children to identify shapes and match colours in the garden.

Staff support toddlers to count and identify numbers as they move small counters into containers with tweezers.Older children explore the outdoor area confidently as they jump, balance, climb and learn to negotiate space. However, very young babies are not able to fully explore outdoors.

This is because staff carry them around due to the surfaces being muddy and do not plan suitable activities to extend their learning outside. The manager has plans in place to reorganise the outdoor space to better meet the needs of the youngest children.Staff work with other providers, where children attend more than one, to share information about children's progress.

However, they do not routinely engage with providers to help establish children's starting points or when they transition from one provider to another to help ensure continuity of learning.Parents report that their children are very happy at the nursery. They say they feel well informed about their children's progress and describe staff as 'welcoming' and 'supportive'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the curriculum for the outdoor area to provide babies with more varied and targeted learning experiences that extend their learning strengthen links with other providers to help ensure smooth transitions and promote continuity of learning.