Educare For Early Years (Brockhall)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are clearly very happy and settled in this appealing and safe nursery. They form a strong emotional bond with their key person from the very onset.

Transition through the nursery and on to school is seamless and well supported. Children's behaviour is good. Younger children work together as a team when washing cars outdoors.

Children of all ages display good table manners. They use cutlery, such as knives and forks, sensibly during mealtimes. Children learn how to keep themselves safe, such as when cracking their own eggs during baking activities.

Children are incredibly sociable. Babies happily engag...e in pretend play alongside others. Older children form special friendships ahead of their move on to school.

Leaders and staff engage children in high-quality learning, to help them to reach their full potential. Babies use their senses to explore resources, such as lights and streamers. They take interest in the illustrations within books.

Younger children are quick to recall that 'milk comes from a cow'. They clearly express what makes them feel happy. Older children are confident communicators.

They share their aspirations for the future, such as when talking about becoming a 'chef' or a 'police officer' when they grow up. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) adapt well to any new routines with close support. They demonstrate increasing independence when pouring their own water at snack time.

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

Staff engage in high-quality interactions with children, to build on their current skills. For example, when creating a map of the local area, staff encourage older children to estimate the time it will take to travel from the church to school. Children are confident to use mathematical language associated with time and position.

They use tools such as scissors with increasing control.Leaders ensure that new staff are supported by an experienced mentor. They actively strive to reduce staff's workload and help them to maintain a good work and home life balance.

Leaders engage staff in meaningful supervision sessions. However, training is not yet highly focused on enhancing staff's knowledge of the curriculum, to aid their good teaching practice further.The proactive staff identify and target support for children with SEND.

They make good use of any funding, to close gaps in children's learning. For example, the additional small-group sessions are positively impacting on children's social interaction skills.Staff place a sharp emphasis on helping children to develop a love for books and reading.

They invite children of all ages to select books from the visiting library bus and engage them in helpful home reading schemes. This introduces children to a broad range of vocabulary and helps to successfully bridge any word gaps.Partnerships with parents are superb.

Staff provide parents with innovative home-learning ideas. For example, they encourage parents to take babies on a nature walk to collect natural resources. Staff then use these objects to create sensory bottles for babies to explore.

Parents say that 'they feel part of the nursery family' and that 'staff go above and beyond to support all children'.The considerate staff value and appreciate the geographical context of the nursery and children that attend. They encourage children to share information about their individual backgrounds.

During show and tell sessions, younger children enjoy talking about aspects, such as a recent visit to the beach and a new pet. They gain a broad understanding of what makes them unique.Staff recognise that some children have found it more difficult to manage their feelings and behaviour since the onset of the pandemic.

They encourage all children to openly talk about how they are feeling each day. The new 'mini moves' groups are providing ways for babies and younger children to exert their energy in safe ways, including through gentle peer massage. This is contributing towards children's positive mental well-being and behaviour.

Children benefit from the consistent routines that are in place within the nursery. They enjoy moving between areas, such as the play rooms, the play club, the outdoors and the art studio during the day. However, at times, particularly when larger groups of children mix together, the noise level can become a little too high.

This sometimes causes minor disruptions to children's play and learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders ensure that all staff complete a wide range of safeguarding training and have access to regular updates.

They regularly test out staff's knowledge of safeguarding through the use of a purposeful quiz. Staff understand the procedures they need to follow to protect children's welfare. They take steps to keep children safe.

For example, staff read meaningful stories to older children, to educate them about the dangers of using the internet and how to stay safe. They share information with parents relating to weaning, safe sleeping and online safety, to promote children's health and safety at home.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the programme of professional development and focus more intently on enhancing staff's knowledge and understanding of the early years curriculum, to help to raise the quality of their teaching practice to an outstanding level make even better use of the available indoor and outdoor spaces, to further minimise disruption and support all children to remain deeply engaged in their play and learning.