Downside Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

This small and family-centred nursery is highly regarded within the local community. The dedicated owner and the manager are passionate towards the care they provide and in developing a highly effective and skilled team.

Children's behaviour is exceptional. Staff are excellent role models who are wonderfully respectful and treat each and every child as a unique individual. Children have superb levels of self-esteem and confidence in their own abilities.

They are gaining impressive independence skills and show a commendable perseverance and determination in all tasks they attempt. Staff create very safe and secure learn...ing environments. For instance, they review and update risk assessments to help them to minimise risks in the environment.

Children have strong attachments with all staff members, who help them to build an inspiring sense of belonging. Children are building a deep understanding of the wider world around them. They enjoy visits to the local schools to be involved in special days.

Children are remarkably well prepared for their move on to school and have very high levels of confidence, self-awareness and a caring attitude in how they play and share with others. Staff enjoy planning activities to help children to gain new experiences in their learning. However, they do not extend opportunities for children to express and represent their own creative ideas.

Children very much look forward to the extra-curricular activities that they take part in each week.

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

Partnerships with parents are impressive. Parents feel completely valued and included in their children's development and successes at nursery.

Information with other professionals and schools is shared successfully to provide children with a truly joined-up approach towards their future learning.Staff plan exciting and stimulating activities for children to build on their learning and experiences. However, they do not extend opportunities for children to express and represent their own artistic ideas and creativity in planned activities.

The manager uses the process of self-evaluation well. She seeks the views and comments of her staff, parents and the children to help inform areas for change. The area of mathematics was recently highlighted as an area for improvement.

This led to staff focusing more intently on helping children to build on these skills further in their everyday play and learning, such as investigating shapes.The professional development of the team is well planned overall and helps staff to reflect and build on their own practice. Staff have regular supervisions to help them to have time to discuss areas of their role that they wish to build upon.

Recent safeguarding training has helped all staff members to have the most current and up-to-date knowledge of protecting the children in their care.Children have significant opportunities to be physically active and have regular access to fresh air and exercise. They listen intently and follow instructions with ease as they jump into hoops and very carefully balance on ropes.

Children use large blocks to design long bridges together and create ramps using their impressive problem-solving and negotiating skills.Children have meaningful experiences to help them to learn about the similarities and differences between themselves and others. They are highly responsive as staff read stories about disabilities.

Children use small-world characters in wheelchairs, and those which represent different cultures, to build on their awareness.Staff support children's increasing communication and language development well. Children use the wide array of books available to build a love of stories.

Younger children enjoy lifting flaps and tracing their fingers over the different textures underneath. Older children become immersed as they use characters to recall and recite parts of the text they remember.Children are investigating and exploring with numbers to expand on their increasing mathematical abilities.

Younger children build towers with coloured bricks and older children build intricate shapes with magnetic items. Staff help children to problem solve and learn about weight and estimation. For example, children recognise when items are lighter or heavier.

Staff observe and track the progress children make to quickly identify potential gaps in their development. However, the manager does not make the very best use of the systems in place to monitor the staff's use of their assessments of children's achievements, to help them plan more precisely for the next steps in their learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff are highly trained and have an impressive understanding of their role in protecting children from potential harm and themselves from allegations. They have excellent knowledge of how to identify potential signs of abuse and the procedures they would use to report any concerns. This includes protecting children from extreme views and building an early awareness of online safety.

Daily risk assessments are embedded in practice and help to provide children with very safe environments to play and learn. Recruitment is robust and has a very firm focus on ensuring the suitability of staff who work directly with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff, particularly less experienced staff, by monitoring the use of their assessments of children's achievements, to help them plan more precisely for the next steps in their learning nextend opportunities for children to express and represent their own artistic ideas and creativity in planned activities.

Also at this postcode