Fledglings Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and well behaved. Staff create calm and welcoming rooms where children feel confident to explore, grow in confidence and develop a sense of emotional well-being. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make strong progress in their communication skills and their ability to manage and explain their own emotions.

The manager has high expectations and has led staff in the development of innovative planning and assessment procedures, firmly based on children's interests and experiences. Children make good progress and develop positive attitudes to learning. They are inquisiti...ve and persistent when, for example, they hammer colourful pegs into pumpkins to create interesting patterns and designs.

Staff interact well with children, overall. They often ask thoughtful and pertinent questions to promote learning, although they do not consistently reinforce children's mathematical vocabulary. Staff help children to build their appreciation of words and phrases through regularly listening to songs and stories.

For instance, babies learn to pay attention and follow the actions in well-known nursery rhymes and lullabies. Staff encourage children to be physically active by playing exciting chasing games, for example, or dancing to action songs.

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

Staff create a warm and enticing start to learning in the baby room.

Babies explore different sensory experiences, such as playing with natural woodland objects or by rolling in pasta. Staff help babies to focus and to be aware of others. They maintain close eye contact with the babies and gently talk about their actions.

Children learn to appreciate the differences and similarities in their world when they explore the many photographs of their friends and families at home and away. Staff help children to observe closely and represent their ideas in different creative media, such as paints and collage.The manager is extremely rigorous in evaluating all aspects of the nursery provision.

She analyses children's achievements closely to plan for further developments. She actively seeks out staff and parents' views through meetings, workshops and questionnaires and works closely with the local authority and independent consultants. She uses the information to plan precise, challenging yet achievable targets for future improvements.

Consequently, staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and contribute effectively to the nursery's continuous improvement.Staff strongly promote children's development of language skills. They use a wide range of strategies to help children to listen, repeat and recall new words and phrases.

For example, staff in the pre-school encourage children to ask each other questions about the muddy soup they have been making and to name the ingredients.Children's personal and social skills are promoted well. They eat their very well-prepared, healthy meals in friendly social groups.

Staff encourage them to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children grow their own vegetables and use them in their play and in creating meals. Parents are very appreciative of the support staff provide for toilet training and helping children manage their own behaviour.

Staff make effective use of additional funding children receive to help address any gaps they may have in their achievement. For example, they improve resources and activities for learning about shape and measure to support children who are not making the best progress in this area. They often provide first language support for children who speak English as an additional language.

Parents welcome the warm support the nursery offers them. They appreciate the detailed regular information on children's experiences and achievements. Parents welcome the opportunity to support the nursery through the very successful fundraising activities of the Parents' Forum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager ensures that staff undertake high levels of regular training to deepen their knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures. Staff know the signs that children may be at risk of harm or abuse, including being influenced by extremist views.

They understand and follow the robust procedures for reporting and monitoring their concerns. Staff help children to play in safety and support them to be aware of how to use the internet safely.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen staff's interactions with children to more consistently reinforce children's emerging mathematical vocabulary.