Elms Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enter this setting with smiles on their faces.

They are greeted by friendly and welcoming staff. Children feel secure as they explore their surroundings. They make strong bonds with key staff, who gather information from parents when children first start.

Staff share this information with each other to ensure that they foster children's care needs effectively and establish routines that are matched to those at home. Children develop self-esteem and show empathy towards each other. They are kind, share their toys and invite others to join in as they pretend to feed stuffed animals.

Children choose from... an array of interesting and engaging activities. Babies enjoy practising their physical skills as they pull themselves up on child-friendly furniture or manipulate pipe cleaners through the holes in colanders. Older children pretend to cook Christmas dinner as they hold conversations with staff about their favourite foods.

Staff help children to extend their knowledge as they ask questions to spark children's curiosity and discussions. Children are keen learners and build their confidence in the language-rich environment. Staff introduce new words and often use simple signs to help younger children to communicate their needs and preferences.

For example, at mealtimes young children use signs to indicate if they want more to eat or if they have finished.

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

Managers and leaders are passionate in their roles and responsibilities and are highly supportive of their staff team. There are effective arrangements in place for supervisions, which include opportunities to identify training needs and provide coaching to enhance staff practice.

Staff's well-being is also a priority. Staff express how they feel supported and valued, and receiving achievement awards helps to boost their confidence.Staff confidently explain how they observe and assess the progress of their key children.

They focus on up to two children at a time over a two-week period. During this time, they liaise with parents to exchange relevant information and use what they find to plan activities based on children's current interests and abilities. This is very effective for these children, and staff report on the good progress children make.

However, staff do not plan for their other key children until it is their turn to be one of the focus children. This means that there are periods when the curriculum is not based on all children's current interests or planned to build on their prior learning. Although all children are engaged in activities available, opportunities for them to make the best possible progress are missed.

Children with special educational needs and or/disabilities (SEND) receive highly effective interventions and support from staff. They benefit from individual planning that is positive and purposeful. Staff adapt their practice accordingly to meet children's specific needs.

The special educational needs and or/disabilities coordinator attends training to expand their knowledge and understanding. They identify children with SEND effectively and support parents during referrals and meetings with external professionals to ensure consistency and complementary practice at the setting and elsewhere.Children's health and well-being are supported effectively.

Staff are well aware of any special diets or individual requirements and take steps to ensure these are adhered to. Children enjoy freshly prepared and nutritious meals and benefit from free access to fresh drinking water and plenty of opportunities outside.Children are encouraged to be highly independent.

Younger children wipe their noses independently and access a child-friendly sink to wash their hands. Older children use large utensils to transfer their lunch from the kitchen pans onto their plate. Children pour their own drinks and scrape their food into the bin when they have finished.

Children are well prepared for school.Parents are extremely happy with the care their children receive. They comment on the progress their children have made since attending the setting.

Parents receive in-depth information during the day about their child's well-being and progress. Parents speak highly about the communication between the staff team. They feel confident that important messages about their child will be passed on to the correct person.

Managers and leaders ensure that partnerships with local schools are maintained. The key person shares detailed information about children with schools and pre-schools in preparation for children's transition.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Children's welfare is of paramount importance. Staff receive regular in-house safeguarding training. They have a good knowledge of how to identify the signs and symptoms of abuse.

Staff understand the importance of sharing information with external agencies when they have a safeguarding concern about a child or colleague. Children's safety is promoted as staff complete rigorous risk assessments and take steps to minimise potential hazards before children enter the setting.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance opportunities for all children to make the best possible progress through a curriculum which is coherently planned and sequenced, is responsive to individual children's interests and builds on what they already know and can do.