Crews Hill Day Nursery and Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Friendly staff warmly welcome the children, who settle smoothly into their day. They find their names as they arrive and self-register confidently.

Older children independently remove their coats and place them on their pegs before exploring their room and outdoor space. Staff are skilled in supporting babies to independently explore their environment and develop their confidence. Babies respond with delight to staff as they talk and join in their play.

Staff are attentive to children's individual needs, such as their settling and sleep routines.Children enjoy a well-balanced and thoughtful curriculum that supports the...m to build on their skills and make progress. Staff support children's language and communication skills throughout the day.

They offer plenty of opportunities for children to join in with familiar stories, rhymes, and songs. For example, older children choose a 'story spoon' to select a book and enjoy the well-resourced book area.Children enjoy an exceptionally well-organised and spacious natural outdoor environment to extend their physical development and learn to explore nature and the world around them.

They understand how to take care of plants and look after chickens, which increases their confidence and ability to focus and work collaboratively with each other.

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

Staff take time to get to know the children, working closely with parents and other professionals. They carefully consider how to meet all children's needs and ensure that they offer suitable challenges, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Staff build a curriculum that supports children's individual interests and what they need to learn next.Parents speak very highly about the nursery and the quality of care and education their children receive. They feel listened to and valued.

They actively contribute to children's learning experience by sharing with staff any new events or changes made by their child at home.The manager ensures that staff's well-being and professional development are supported and monitored regularly. Staff benefit from regular supervision, opportunities to speak with managers at any time, and staff meetings.

This supports staff to reflect on and consider what they would like to do next to enhance their practice. This further enables them to meet children's needs.Children enjoy opportunities to increase their communication and mathematical skills as they sell cakes, vegetables and fresh eggs at their Crews Hill market stall.

They understand the value of working together and understanding where products come from.The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) provides good support to staff to ensure that they meet children's individual needs successfully. Staff use thorough assessments to enable them to promptly identify any gaps in children's learning.

They work with parents and other agencies to create individualised plans to help children succeed.Children actively make decisions as they consider how many baskets they need to collect the chickens' eggs. They negotiate who will lift the lid and who will be the first to offer the chickens some feed.

However, at times, more-confident children dominate the activity, while younger and less-confident children do not receive enough support to fully benefit from all learning experiences.Leaders and managers place an importance on the well-being of the children. They support children's developing understanding of how to communicate their feelings to their key person and others.

For example, on arrival, children place their name on the colour that best represents how they feel at the beginning of the day. They can also choose to select a 'feeling pebble'.Staff are enthusiastic and motivated, which inspires children to want to learn.

However, occasionally, staff do not allow sufficient time for children to process questions, clarify their thinking and be able to contribute with a response, to further extend their understanding and speaking skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are clear in their role and responsibilities to protect children.

They have a secure understanding of child protection policies and procedures and know the possible signs that a child may be at risk from harm. Staff keep their training up to date with current legislation, such as the 'Prevent' duty. Staff deploy themselves effectively to ensure that children are closely supervised and supported in their care and learning.

The premises are safe and secure. The manager and staff complete thorough risk assessments to minimise hazards to children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide timely support for younger or less-confident children to help them contribute and feel valued during all learning experiences provide children with sufficient time to process questions, clarify their thinking and verbalise their thoughts to extend their understanding and speaking skills even further.

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