Dandelion Kids Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children and their families are warmly welcomed as they arrive at the nursery. Children quickly settle and become engaged in their play and learning.

Staff are very responsive to children's individual needs and adapt their interactions appropriately. They engage in play with the children and make comments and suggestions to support their learning. However, children are not consistently given enough time to think and respond for themselves when they are asked questions.

Children choose from a wide range of activities indoors which covers all areas of learning. The daily routine includes opportunities for children to spe...nd time outside and to take part in adult-led group activities. Group times ensure all children regularly hear stories, sing and learn to be part of a group.

Children are well supported to develop their self-help skills. For example, they learn to put on and take off their coats. Children become competent at peeling and cutting up fruit at snack time, and pouring their own drinks.

They are keen to take part in activities, and respond positively to staff. Children are very familiar with the routine and help, for example, to tidy up when it is time to do so. Staff help children to learn to share and take turns.

When they need to intervene to support children's interactions with one another, the children listen well and respond positively.

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

Staff get to know children and their families very well. They provide many opportunities for parents to become involved in their children's learning, such as through stay-and-play sessions, parents' meetings and pre-school performances.

Regular assessments of children's learning and progress are monitored by the manager. This ensures that any gaps in learning are quickly identified and appropriate support is planned. Additional assessment, such as speech and language screening, is provided when needed.

Staff plan next steps for learning based on children's interests and developmental needs. This supports all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make good progress.Children enjoy the freedom to make independent choices about how they spend their time.

For example, two-year-old children investigate mark making in shaving foam, roll cars down a ramp and learn how to use glue. Pre-school children organise numbers, sort coloured pom-poms using tweezers, and build a track with construction materials. However, planning and teaching for pre-school children does not consistently ensure that they are fully challenged within their play and learning.

Children's language and communication skills are supported as staff model language to them while they play. New vocabulary is introduced and clearly explained to children. For example, as they make play dough, children learn about kneading.

Children begin to learn to care for themselves and keep themselves healthy. Staff support them to learn good hygiene practices, such as washing their hands before eating. Children are offered a healthy snack each day, and staff talk to them about healthy foods.

The nursery makes good use of the local area, taking children on seasonal walks to the fields and walking to the library regularly. Children and families have also benefitted from visits to the nursery from the dentist and other health professionals to support them to lead a healthy lifestyle.The settling-in process when children first start and transitions between rooms and on to school are thoughtfully planned for.

Parents are kept well informed and enabled to be fully involved in the process at each stage.The owner and manager are passionate about providing high-quality care and education. They work very closely together to continually review and develop the nursery provision, and to keep staff workload at an appropriate level.

They ensure staff have opportunities to access training which will impact on their practice and outcomes for children.Parents speak very positively about the care and education provided at the nursery. They feel well informed about their children's learning and progress and say that their children are very happy.

Parents particularly value the time and support given to them as parents, and say the nursery is 'like family'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff are vigilant in their attention to children's safety and welfare.

All staff are very confident in their knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse to look for, and of the procedures to follow if they are concerned about a child or about the behaviour of a member of staff. They have a good awareness of wider safeguarding issues and the 'Prevent' duty. The manager ensures that statutory training for paediatric first aid and child protection remains up to date.

Staff receive regular safeguarding updates and training at staff meetings. Recruitment processes are thorough and ensure that new and temporary staff receive appropriate training during induction.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nincrease opportunities for children to have time to think, respond and generate their own ideas when adults engage them in conversation or ask them questions build on existing strengths in planning and teaching to consistently provide highly challenging play and learning opportunities for pre-school children.