Echoes Childcare Limited

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children feel safe and secure at the nursery. They arrive happily and settle quickly. New babies form strong bonds with their key persons, and two-year-old children sit contentedly in staff's laps when they look at books together.

Staff help to build the pre-school children's sense of belonging and identity. They encourage children to talk about themselves during group times and listen to what they say with interest.Staff are clear what they want children to learn next and take account of children's interests when planning activities and experiences.

All children make good progress and develop a positive attitude to le...arning. Babies and toddlers are curious and they use their senses to explore their environment. They gather around the activities eagerly and use their hands and tools to scoop and transport the sensory resources.

Staff model simple language skilfully while narrating the children's investigation of the textures, such as 'crunch', 'squeeze' and 'small'. Staff support the pre-school children to assess risks for themselves. The children consider how high to climb the trees and how far to jump from a platform in the garden.

Children become confident in their own abilities and develop pride in their achievements.Staff manage children's behaviour effectively. They remind the toddlers and two-year-old children to share and take turns and explain the reasons for the rules.

Children play alongside and with each other cooperatively.

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

Leaders and staff have a secure understanding of what knowledge and skills they want children to learn during their time at the nursery. They work with parents to establish what children already know and can do when they start.

Staff plan and deliver a broad, ambitious and stimulating curriculum, which helps to prepare children well for the next stage in their education.Staff provide good support for children's physical development. They place toys and resources on the floor around the babies to motivate them to stretch and move.

They encourage toddlers to scoop and pour sand using spoons. Staff prompt the pre-school children to think about what they will draw pictures of and to make marks with control.Staff model language skilfully and teach children new words.

However, some staff do not support children consistently to speak and to practise their language skills. For example, staff ask the children simple questions but do not allow them enough time to respond before answering for them.With encouragement from staff, children learn to take responsibility for and manage their self-care needs independently.

They use cutlery at mealtimes, and the older children help to prepare and serve snack. Children are keen to help staff. For example, they are meticulous in picking up every small piece of paper from the floor when tidying up and the pre-school children tell staff how to clean the tables after mealtimes.

Children develop a love of books from a young age. They often choose to sit and look at books quietly by themselves, studying the pictures and turning the pages. When staff read, children listen with interest and concentrate well.

Overall, children follow staff's instructions and join in with planned activities enthusiastically. On occasion, the deployment of staff and their organisation of activities and routines lead to children losing focus and becoming overexcited. This distracts the children from their play and learning and they become very noisy for short times.

Parents comment that their children make good progress in their development. They feel that staff regularly update them about what their children are learning. Parents praise the caring staff team and say their children are happy and eager to attend.

Staff are warm, playful and friendly. For example, when babies wake from a nap, staff calmly and sensitively give them the space and time they need to get up and join their friends. Staff show respect for children, for example when asking children permission to wipe their nose.

The children consent willingly, wrinkling their nose in anticipation.Leaders provide thorough inductions for new staff and give good consideration to promoting staff's well-being. Staff understand and carry out their roles and responsibilities to meet children's needs.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the curriculum for communication and language to develop and provide more consistent support for children's speech review the organisation of staff deployment, activities and routines to support children to focus and engage more deeply in their activities and daily tasks.