Fern Hollow Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children and their families receive a warm welcome from staff at Fern Hollow Nursery. From the moment they arrive, children show they feel settled and secure as staff are there to greet them. Children confidently leave their parents and carers and confidently begin exploring the resources available, alongside their friends.

Staff implement an ambitious curriculum that, overall, supports children's learning needs well. Exciting, fun activities are planned which motivate children and encourage them to join in. Older children demonstrate this when they make kites to fly in the outdoor area.

They show patience when the win...d isn't quite as strong as previous days and are happy to wait until later when it may pick up again. Younger children enthusiastically play with sand indoors. They enjoy filling small cups and happily bring them to the inspector to hold.

Children demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. This is illustrated when younger children concentrate as they look for their photograph as part of self-registration. They look intently at the various pictures of other children before finding their own image.

They are happy for staff to offer help if this is required. Staff use a variety of effective strategies throughout the day to support children's behaviour. For example, older children use a 'traffic-light' system and understand that 'red' means they must stop what they are doing.

Children behave very well and a calm atmosphere runs throughout the nursery.

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

Partnerships with parents are superb. Parents spoken to on inspection, and those who provided comments for the inspector to consider, speak highly of the staff team and the help their children receive.

High levels of support, including for potty training and when a new baby sibling comes along, are gratefully received. Parents share how they 'do not worry about their child' when they are in nursery. This demonstrates reassurance for them that their child is safe and well cared for.

The manager is full of passion for continually developing the best standard of care and learning for children and their families. She evaluates the nursery, identifying areas she can improve to benefit children. Recent developments include setting up a toddler group locally, to strengthen parent confidence in accessing help for their children from local services.

Children are happy, confident learners who thoroughly enjoy interacting with their friends and the staff team. Relationships are strong throughout the nursery and a 'happy buzz' permeates throughout the room. Children seek reassurance from their key person, who is always available to offer reassurance and a hug if it is required.

The manager leads her staff team well. Collectively, they plan and implement educational programmes that support children's learning well overall. Staff know their key children and know where they are in their development.

However, some activities are not always sufficiently focused on the skills children are learning. Staff occasionally focus more on the end product or pictures children are creating rather than the skills they are developing throughout the process.Staff support children well to develop their communication skills.

This is evident when staff describe children's actions as they travel in ride-on cars, using words such as 'reversing'. Staff ask older children effective questions as they play and explore play dough. Children use language which is appropriate for their stage of development.

Younger children freely explore toys and resources available in their room. However, staff do not fully consider the key developmental stages children go through to become successful learners. For instance, activities set up in the sand tray indoors do not allow children enough room to make large, whole-arm movements.

Outdoors, planning is focused mostly on large physical-play activities, without considering the many other key skills children are developing.Children enjoy fresh, home-cooked meals everyday. Staff spend quality time with children as they eat and help them to serve themselves and monitor their portion size.

Children enjoy daily opportunities to learn outdoors, supporting their physical health further.The manager and staff are proactive and respond quickly if they have any developmental concerns about a child in their care. They work in collaboration with external agencies to share information to ensure children get the help and support they need, at the earliest stage.

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: focus planning more on the skills children need to develop next to fully extend and support their learning strengthen understanding of the developmental stages younger children go through to plan a more effective curriculum, including in the outdoor area.