Curious Hedgehogs Day Nursery and Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The dedicated management team has worked tirelessly to address the weaknesses raised at the previous inspection. They have designed a curriculum that progressively builds on what children have already learned.

This supports children's ongoing development as they transition from one room to another. As a result of their sustained commitment to raising quality, the provision is greatly improved.Staff organise the learning environment well to motivate children to play and explore.

They place a strong focus on children's physical development and communication. Children benefit from both indoor and outdoor learning. Babies ...confidently travel around and build their muscle strength as they pull themselves up to standing.

Staff encourage babies to stand so they can see themselves in a mirror. Older children thoroughly enjoy the opportunities to increase their heart rates as they use a wide range of equipment to travel and explore within the playground.Children demonstrate that they feel happy and secure.

They are motivated to learn and show high levels of social confidence. For instance, babies excitedly smile and wave at the inspector. Staff encourage children to make their own choices about activities they want to engage in.

They store toys in low-level drawers and open units so that children can access resources for themselves. Young children are learning to share toys, and older children are becoming increasingly able to build relationships with their peers.

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

The management team works alongside staff to provide an ambitious curriculum for all children.

They have a clear vision: to continually improve the provision and the quality of practice in the nursery. Meticulous attention to staff training, alongside a programme of support for staff, has helped to raise the overall quality of education and care children receive, although there are still some inconsistencies in the quality of staff interactions and challenge that children receive.Communication and language are promoted well.

Children's joyful singing can be heard throughout the nursery. Staff bring stories and songs to life as they sing and read books to children. Toddlers are actively involved in stories.

They listen attentively to the staff reading. In addition, they demonstrate their understanding as they act out the story with available props. Staff encourage babies to join in with repeated phrases in books and the sounds the animals make.

This helps children make progress with their communication skills, and it develops their recall and memory skills.Children develop their independence. Even young children are beginning to serve their own food at mealtimes.

Children practise their independence skills as they attempt to put their own shoes on and begin to take care of their own personal care needs as they wash their hands after using the toilet. This helps children to become self-sufficient.Staff set high expectations for behaviour.

Toddlers and pre-school children find the praise they receive from staff highly motivating and replicate this modelled behaviour in their own play. They say 'well done' to their friends as they work together to build using the construction blocks. However, some children do not receive the full support they need to understand how to manage their feelings and behaviour for themselves.

Children are sometimes told what to do without an explanation as to why this is desirable behaviour.Staff support children to develop their knowledge of mathematics. They support children in recognising numbers up to 10 within the environment and encourage them to practise their counting skills during play.

As a result, children are developing good mathematics skills.Partnerships with parents are a strength of the setting. Parents comment that they are pleased with the efforts of the management team and staff to ensure consistent improvements in the setting.

In addition, they say that staff support their children well and regularly share information with them about their child's progress and how they can extend this at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The management team and staff fully understand their responsibilities relating to safeguarding children.

They have completed appropriate training to ensure that their knowledge of all aspects of child protection remain up to date. They know the local procedures they should follow and have processes for recording information to be shared with external agencies. Staff are deployed effectively to meet ratio requirements and supervise children well.

The management team follows robust recruitment procedures to help ensure that all staff employed to work with children are suitable. Risk assessments and safety checks help to minimise potential hazards to ensure that children play and learn in a safe and secure space.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to embed the new arrangements for staff coaching and supervision so that children receive consistently good-quality interactions and challenge from all staff support staff to further develop children's understanding of how they can manage their feelings and behaviour so they can share resources and resolve conflicts during their chosen play.