Elan Nursery Pre School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children love coming to this vibrant and welcoming nursery.

They benefit from lots of opportunities to learn and explore within the wider community. This extends their knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, children enjoy trips to the library, local woods and fire station.

They learn about people in their community through visits from parents who share details of their occupations, including a perfumer, vets and an optician.Staff provide children with lots of meaningful learning experiences, both indoors and outdoors. Children develop their large-muscle skills as they climb and push themselves down equi...pment, such as the slide.

They explore cause and effect as they slide their cars down the large surfaced ramps and take measurements of whose went the furthest. There is a strong focus on vocabulary to ensure all children leave the setting equipped with important communication and language skills.Children seek support from adults and are praised for their achievements.

They build strong relationships with their key person, which ensures they feel safe and secure. Staff find out about children's interests, likes and dislikes when they join the nursery. This means that children enjoy carefully planned activities that capture their interest and curiosity from the beginning.

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

Staff deliver an effectively sequenced curriculum. They plan activities that follow children's interests to help to ensure that children are motivated to learn. Staff assess what children have previously learned and can do.

They also request home observations from parents and carers and use these as a foundation for further learning. As a result, all children make good progress across all areas of learning and development.Staff provide many opportunities for children to be ready for their next stage of learning.

For example, children are competent in managing responsibility for their own belongings and have skills in self-care. However, at times, children do not show the same independence in their learning during play activities. For example, they rely on prompts from staff to find equipment.

This means that children, particularly older children, have not yet mastered making their own links to which resources they can access in order to extend their own learning.Children are encouraged to learn about each other's cultures and backgrounds. For example, they share photos of their families and discuss the places they have visited on holiday.

Staff extend this by encouraging the children to recall what mode of transport they used to travel as well as exploring the maps and flags associated with the different countries they experienced. Children learn about experiences different than their own. They note similarities and differences and learn what makes them unique.

Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. The special educational needs coordinator communicates well with parents and has good arrangements to work with other relevant professionals. Children with SEND benefit from very positive interactions from all staff and form strong bonds with their key person.

Managers ensure that there are clear rules and boundaries in place. These include displays and reminders for children to use 'listening ears', 'indoor voices' and 'kind hands'. However, not all staff reinforce these consistently.

This is not fully effective in helping children to understand what is expected of them.Parents are extremely happy with the care and education received by their children. They feel that they are well informed about children's progress and take part in the process of their child's next steps for learning.

The transition between the group's nursery provision for younger children and the pre-school nursery is effectively managed. This is extended to children's transition to the local feeder schools. For example, children's new teachers are invited to spend time with children and key persons before children move on, to ensure a successful progression.

There is a high priority placed on staff's work-life balance. Staff report a high level of well-being and feel they are very well supported. There are robust monitoring systems in place to develop their practice.

For example, staff are encouraged to observe each other's practice on a regular basis. This means there is a reflective culture among the staff and an incentive to continuously improve their professional development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders help staff to keep their knowledge of safeguarding current. For example, they set quizzes at each staff meeting to help them identify the signs and symptoms of abuse, neglect and radicalisation. Leaders work closely with safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and welfare of children.

Leaders and staff know where to report possible concerns about staff's behaviour. This helps to promote children's safety. Staff ensure children's safety when they leave the nursery.

For example, if unfamiliar people collect children, they use a password that is provided by parents. Children are taught about the safety aspects of climbing steep stairs or taking turns on higher equipment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen opportunities to demonstrate to children how to find and use resources available in the environment to extend their own interests in learning support all staff to be consistent in reinforcing rules and boundaries so that children understand what is expected.