Fisherfield Childcare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The whole staff team upholds an ambitious vision that aims to ensure that children reach their full potential and become highly successful learners. Staff have high expectations of children.

They provide a wide and varied curriculum. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, to develop their skills across all areas of learning. However, opportunities to extend children's learning to a deeper level are occasionally missed, and some activities are not timed well enough to maintain children's full attention.

The... dedicated staff place a sharp emphasis on ensuring that all children are happy and settled in their care. Children's behaviour is good. Staff aspire to promote a sense of calm across the nursery.

For example, they invite babies to engage in soothing songs and rhymes in the sensory room and introduce older children to relaxation techniques, such as yoga. This helps children to develop a positive mindset and aids their ability to manage their feelings and behaviour. Older children become increasingly independent in meeting their self-care needs.

However, occasionally, staff do not consistently extend ways for the youngest children to adopt the highest standards of health and hygiene practice during play.

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

Managers and leaders value their whole staff team. They provide opportunities for staff to engage in a range of calming therapies, which contribute towards their increased positive energy and enthusiasm within the nursery.

Partnerships with parents are a distinct strength. Staff work together with parents to assess children's achievements. They provide innovative ways, such as stay-and-play sessions and parent workshops, of engaging parents in aspects of nursery life.

Parents welcome the wide range of ideas shared within the home learning packs, to support their children's learning at home.Staff monitor children's learning and plan a good range of exciting 'in the moment' experiences for children to engage in. These, largely, help to build on children's current interests and skills and incorporate any learning from home.

However, occasionally, staff do not grasp opportunities to extend children's learning further and some activities, such as those presented at lunchtime, do not engage children most effectively.Staff swiftly review their practice in line with the ideas that children initiate. For example, following children's desire to collect litter and take care of their world, staff create a recycling area, to help children to learn about different materials and how these can be reused.

Children enjoy listening to linked stories and learn about the impact that their actions have on the environment.Some elements of teaching are exceptional. For example, some staff show remarkable skills when engaging children in activities such as baking.

Children are confident when talking through the ingredients and demonstrate their excellent knowledge of where their healthy food comes from. Children become incredibly resilient when tackling new challenges. They develop a desire to measure and count, to advance their mathematical skills.

Staff support children with SEND very well. They thread advice from other professionals into children's individualised learning plans, to help to close any gaps in their learning. This helps to promote continuity and contributes towards the good progress that all children make.

Managers and leaders source a wide range of customised training that, essentially, inspires staff to enhance their knowledge, skills and practice. In response to recent literacy training the well-qualified staff have placed a strong focus on the importance of reading with children, to help to enhance their skills.Children enjoy time outdoors in the fresh air and readily engage in exercise sessions, such as 'mini movers', that help to promote their good physical health.

Older children know to wash their hands before activities, such as baking. However, on occasions, staff working with the youngest children do not swiftly endorse the highest standards of health and hygiene practice, such as following outdoor play and during play with sensory materials.Staff support children who initially struggle to regulate their behaviour.

Novel ideas, such as encouraging children to create a personal box with special items from home, contribute towards their increasingly calm and positive attitudes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers and leaders have a very good understanding of their roles in keeping children safe.

Regular training, weekly safeguarding updates and 'on the spot' questions help to ensure that all staff have a good knowledge of the procedures to follow to protect children's welfare. Stringent recruitment, induction and monitoring procedures help to ensure that all staff are highly skilled and suitable for their role. Children's safety is acutely considered and the security of the provision is highly prioritised.

Staff take effective steps to minimise any risks to children. Novel experiences, such as community visits from the fire department, help children to develop a clear understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen teaching and help children to acquire deeper levels of learning and become even more engrossed in their play nextend ways for the youngest children to begin to adopt the highest standards of health and hygiene practice.