Dawn Until Dusk Pre-School Lakeview

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are excited to arrive at this friendly nursery and separate from carers with ease. They are eager to participate in the many exciting learning opportunities, which managers and staff skilfully plan.

Staff support children to start their day with a positive attitude to their learning. They use group time to enthusiastically explain the activities available and how it is important for all children to enjoy themselves.Children display extremely high levels of confidence in the nursery.

Staff support this by consistently praising children's achievements and creating an environment where children's perseverance is ...valued. For example, when children become frustrated during activities, staff are on hand to cheer them on. They remind children of all their past accomplishments and how hard they tried to succeed.

Children of all ages form exceptionally close bonds with managers and staff. They run into their arms when they arrive and cuddle up to staff for stories. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have particularly close relationships with their key staff.

They display affection and demonstrate they feel secure in their nurturing care.

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

Managers are very knowledgeable about how children learn. They construct an exciting, well-sequenced curriculum based around children's interests.

Activities are regularly revisited to assess their impact on children's learning.Managers and staff place a sharp focus on children's communication skills. They use every opportunity to introduce unusual vocabulary and descriptive language.

For example, children are enthralled by a volcano-making activity, where staff discuss and model words, such as 'eruption' and 'transparent'.Staff work hard to establish close relationships with families from the start. Parents and carers provide information about children and their experiences at home.

This allows staff to provide learning opportunities children may otherwise not receive.Staff are highly skilled at developing children's understanding of what makes them unique. They make exceptional use of carefully sequenced group activities to support children's knowledge of diversity.

Children are encouraged to use these opportunities to celebrate their own families and cultures. They talk fondly about the individual qualities and needs of their friends at nursery.Staff have high expectations for children's learning and development in the nursery.

They celebrate what children can achieve and encourage them in developing their skills further. For example, staff support children using tweezers to pick up smaller petals and leaves, once they are secure in grasping larger objects.Children with SEND are particularly well supported in this nursery.

Managers demonstrate high levels of integrity in distributing additional funding and they provide high-quality one-to-one support. These staff demonstrate deep knowledge of the children in their care. This enables all children equal access to learning opportunities.

Children have a strong understanding of healthy lifestyles. They are growing various vegetables in their garden and use them to 'cook' with in their outdoor kitchen. Staff support children in understanding hygiene routines.

For example, they talk about the importance of drinking water and milk in a teeth-brushing activity.Managers work very hard in developing strong communication methods to suit the needs of all families. They hold open afternoons where parents can observe their children at play.

They also use this as an opportunity to talk about children's development and how parents can support this at home. Social media is used effectively and professionally to engage with parents regarding day-to-day activities.Managers and staff talk about how well supported they feel.

Directors and area managers provide numerous opportunities for additional training and development. However, staff knowledge of children's abilities is not yet of a high enough level to consistently build on their learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers and staff understand their responsibilities to keep children safe in the nursery. They know the signs and symptoms that could mean a child is at risk of harm, and they know how to report concerns to the appropriate authority. Directors and area managers have a robust recruitment and induction process in place.

This supports staff's knowledge of safeguarding and first-aid procedures from the start. Staff complete regular risk assessments of the environment and supervise all activities well.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nadapt and enhance current supervision methods in order to coach staff practice more effectively, and raise the quality of teaching further.

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