Flitwick Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education is not consistent enough to ensure that children make good progress in their learning. Staff's interactions with children are varied in their quality.

Additionally, the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) requires improvement. Staff do not always provide experiences that support children's development. When staff ask children questions, they do not allow them sufficient time to think and respond.

For example, when children experiment with sand and water, staff ask questions and then give them the answers. Staff are generally nurturing and care for the bab...ies and children. They spend time with them giving cuddles and comfort children when they become upset.

Children behave well. Staff offer praise, which helps children to keep trying. Staff help children to develop a love of reading.

Babies actively choose books to look at and give them to staff, who read to them. Older children sit in small groups and listen to staff who read with expression and talk about the pictures. Children handle books carefully and very young children demonstrate they can turn pages gently.

This helps children to understand that stories have a beginning and an end.

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

The management team recognises that recent changes have disrupted the provision and have a clear and focused action plan to tackle the areas requiring improvement. They have prioritised key areas, including staff's practice and communication with parents.

However, these changes are not fully embedded.The arrangements for children with SEND is not consistently effective. While staff understand the children's interests, they do not use this knowledge to support children's learning.

As a result, children do not make the progress they are capable of from their starting points.The managers help staff to develop their teaching skills, and staff report that they feel well supported. They use a range of opportunities to encourage staff to reflect on and develop their knowledge and practice.

However, these have not been in place long enough to have a positive impact.The managers and staff have recently reviewed the curriculum. The new focus helps children to learn vital, basic skills as they progress through the nursery.

The managers have high expectations of how the staff will teach the skills and knowledge to the children. However, not all staff teach to a consistently good level.Staff do not always plan and provide good-quality activities that foster children's learning that match their abilities.

For example, they offer young children complicated puzzles that are too difficult for them. At times, older children's rooms are busy and noise levels rise. While staff carry on with routine activities, children struggle to listen and and focus, while some wander about.

As a result, learning is not always purposeful.Some staff have strong teaching abilities. For example, they use words that relate to the actions that babies make during their play.

As they use brushes and their hands to paint, staff say 'pat' and 'tap'. They listen carefully for the babies to respond and have a go at copying the word. Staff praise babies' language.

They also respond well to their non-verbal cues. When babies point to pictures, they talk about what it is they see to maintain their concentration.Generally, parents are satisfied with the care the children receive.

They report that babies are helped to settle in, and they receive a suitable amount of communication about their day, such as when nappies are changed.Staff help children to develop their independence throughout the nursery. They encourage babies to hold spoons and feed themselves.

Staff encourage children to put on their coats in a sequential way. For example, they ask toddlers to try doing the up zip. Staff encourage older children to put their arms in their sleeves.

This helps children to learn how to care for themselves.There is a range of opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Babies play on the floor and at tables where they can pull themselves up and balance.

Toddlers roll and crawl on soft-play blocks. This helps to develop children's core strength and balance. Older children poke and squish dough.

They scoop sand and water in and out of pots and jugs. This helps to develop their hand-eye coordination.

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 meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure that staff guide children's learning through stimulating and challenging activities, appropriate for their stage of development 28/03/2025 ensure that arrangements for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are implemented effectively to help them make good progress from their starting points.28/03/2025 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to embed the performance management programme to develop quality of teaching further.

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