De Verdun Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive and separate from their parents with ease.

When children first start at the nursery the staff work with parents to find out about their child's interests and development. This helps staff to plan effectively to support children's emotional well-being. Children's behaviour is good.

Staff continually support them to understand the importance of taking turns and to share toys with their peers. Children show that they feel safe and secure as they talk and interact with visitors. Staff have appropriately high expectations of children's behaviour and learning.

Children are happy, settled and make goo...d friendships with each other. Children develop good levels of confidence and independence. Older children develop their physical skills as they dress dolls, confidently fastening buttons on their 'baby's' clothes.

As they play, children are very well supported by staff who listen and interact with them. Staff model language well, repeating back words and helping children to build sentences. Children develop a can-do attitude and persevere at their chosen activities.

Babies learn how to select their own toys to play with. They are curious and eager to learn, and relish exploring and discovering. They enjoy rolling balls back and forth.

Staff support them to aim balls at targets, and this sparks much laughter and excitement.

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

There are many long-serving members of staff at this well-established nursery. The management team holds regular staff supervision meetings and closely monitors teaching practice.

Staff have received mandatory training around safeguarding and most hold first-aid qualifications. However, the training and development opportunities offered to staff have not extended to supporting them to develop their knowledge of early years and their teaching practice.Staff know their key children very well.

They set challenging, yet achievable, next steps in learning. The manager monitors children's progress to ensure that any gaps are identified and addressed. Staff use observations of children to identify when some may need additional support in order to make good progress.

Staff work in partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure the needs of all children are met.Staff plan activities to give children the opportunity to take part in experiences beyond those that they have at home. Babies have fun getting messy.

They enjoy adding water to cornflour and investigate the change in textures. Babies explore with their senses as they play with foam, sand, water and paint. Older children grow and harvest a range of fruit, vegetables and herbs in the nursery playground.

Parents comment positively about the nursery, particularly on the friendliness of staff and the welcome that their children receive. They explain how they are kept up to date about their children's day and what they are learning through a range of strategies, including daily diaries and online systems. This supports parents to exchange information about their children's learning and development at home and at the nursery.

Children enjoy dressing up and taking on roles in their play. They develop narratives together and become engrossed in their make-believe world. There are ample opportunities for children to make marks and practise forming letters.

Children write shopping lists and draw up food menus while playing in the home corner.Staff reads stories with enthusiasm, which sparks children's interest. Children remain focused and engaged.

They develop a love of books and learn how to handle these carefully. Older children count the different objects that they see in the pictures, confidently counting past 10.Generally, children's good health is promoted well.

Children have opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air. They eat nutritious meals and snacks, and good attention is paid to meeting their dietary requirements. Children develop good hygiene routines and know when to wash their hands, for example before eating.

However, staff fail to engage children in conversation about what they are eating and the positive impact that making healthy food choices has on their bodies.Staff implement a curriculum that supports children to learn about the world in imaginative ways. Children enjoy exploring a range of different cultures and festivals.

They taste food from around the world. Children's achievements are celebrated as staff attractively display their artwork and pictures.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a good understanding of what to do in the event that they have concerns for a child's welfare. They demonstrate their understanding of the possible indicators that a child might be suffering abuse or neglect. Staff know the procedures to follow if they have concerns about another member of staff.

The manager follows robust recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Daily risk assessment checks are undertaken by staff to help to ensure the nursery remains a safe place in which children can play and learn.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: build on the programme of continuous professional development, so that staff receive access training that has a consistent focus on improving their knowledge in order to enhance the quality of teaching promote children's understanding of the importance of eating a healthy and well-balanced diet.