Fellowship of St Nicholas - Greenway

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this welcoming and spacious nursery. The setting has an exciting view of the town and on arrival, children like to stop and watch trains passing or see the delivery lorries visiting the supermarket nearby. These features provide a great start to the day and ignite children's interest and curiosity.

Children observe and draw things they find in their environment, such as the view of the nearby houses, and birds and minibeasts in the shrubbery.Children's learning is thoroughly planned and experiences for children are ambitious. For example, practitioners organise for children to visit their... linked nurseries, to meet new friends and to observe the changes that occur in the lifecycle of a chicken.

Likewise, other children are invited to Greenway, so that they can experience the lifecycle of a butterfly. These outings help children get involved with the wider world and provide good opportunities for children to gain the best possible learning experiences. Children behave very well in the setting.

They take care of each other. They make friends easily and form close attachments to the staff. Practitioners carefully organise the environment to enable children to play and share effectively to ensure good relationships.

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

Practitioners know children very well and describe their characters and current interests. They know what their children are working towards and can speak about the progress that they have made in specific areas of learning. Staff know how to identify a possible delay and how to obtain relevant information and support, if necessary.

However, on occasion, practitioners are not clear about the precise skills and knowledge they want individual children to learn from planned activities, to help them make the best possible progress.Practitioners plan their curriculum well and are clear about what experiences children will learn during their journey through the setting. Children learn important concepts such as maintaining good oral health and making healthy choices in their diet and physical exercise.

The nursery was recently awarded a certificate of excellence from the 'Healthy Active Little Ones' project.Practitioners plan activities that include children taking part in various games and exploratory experiences. At times, however, planned sessions are a little too long for younger children to sit through and some tasks are not challenging enough for older learners.

As a result, children lose interest and become distracted, so do not gain as much learning as they could from these sessions.When choosing activities, children have a wealth of resources to enhance their curiosity and exploration of the natural world. For example, flowers grow in the garden and children can plant seeds to observe every day.

They share trowels and take turns to scoop soil into pots.Children collaborate with each other to negotiate a turn on the bikes, using sand timers and having discussions about whose turn is next. This helps them feel secure and confident in the environment and gain valuable experiences as a result.

Leaders are clear about the direction of the nursery's vision and have high ambition for the identified improvements. The staff feel that they are well supported and valued in their roles. They feel encouraged by leaders to further their development, which contributes to high-quality experiences for children in their care.

Managers carefully allocate funding so that children benefit from expert knowledge. This is particular evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children with English as an additional language. For example, practitioners collaborate with the local library and bilingual volunteers.

They teach parents to share valuable experiences through books and language, within the home.Parents are happy with the care that their children receive. They praise the practitioners and feel well informed about their child's current stage of development and support with next steps.

They are encouraged to extend children's learning at home. For example, practitioners provide parents with sunflower seeds and instructions about how to grow a plant together, which is well received. Practitioners welcome parents to visit the setting and to attend parents' evenings to share information about children's progress.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Practitioners know the importance of keeping children safe. They act on concerns quickly and ensure that they record matters accurately and share information with the necessary support network.

They know how to recognise any concerns about children's welfare and understand the procedures to follow. The premises are secure. All practitioners are competent in administering first aid when necessary.

Parents complete forms for when minor accidents or incidents occur. Practitioners complete regular safeguarding training.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove activity planning so that tasks are more closely matched to the needs and abilities of each child support staff to implement the precise learning intentions of activities more effectively, so they are clear about the skills and knowledge they want children to gain.