Fruit Tree Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Staff provide a welcoming environment to help children to settle and feel safe and secure, overall. Staff form close relationships with all children and know their key children well.

On arrival, children keenly say goodbye to their parents as they start their busy day of fun and learning. Babies who are settling in are given support from the caring staff team. This helps to promote their emotional well-being.

However, there are times when children's individual needs are not consistently considered; therefore, they become unsettled.Generally, staff plan a range of opportunities that are based on what children know and can ...do. For example, in the pre-school room, staff show positive teaching skills and skilfully engage with children to help them to focus on their learning.

They hold meaningful conversations with children about cultures and different continents, such as Africa. However, the quality of teaching, learning and interactions is inconsistent in all the other rooms of the nursery.Despite these inconsistencies, children demonstrate positive behaviour.

Staff encourage children's independence and confidence, including those who receive additional funding. For example, they encourage children to serve themselves during mealtimes, use the toilet independently, and wash their hands to help promote good hygiene practices. All children demonstrate their independence as they keenly serve rice and chickpea curry with large spoons to practise their self-help skills and develop coordination.

Children make steady progress.

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

Leaders have a view of the setting's strengths and areas that need addressing. For example, they are very aware of staff's varied teaching skills and the quality of their interactions with children.

They are taking steps to address the weaknesses in teaching, and have training programmes planned for the staff. They have a clear vision to provide quality, inclusive care and education to all children. Nevertheless, this is not reliably put into practice by all staff.

Staff attend training to help support the different ages of children who they work with, such as baby room leader training for room leaders. However, due to weaknesses in the monitoring of practice, leaders do not ensure that training and the quality of education are implemented consistently in all rooms of the nursery. This has led to some experiences and the quality of interactions being weak, particularly for children in the younger age range.

Consequently, the quality of education varies and is not yet good.Leaders ensure that all children and families receive their free early education funding entitlement, particularly those children with different experiences from others in their learning and play. Despite weaknesses in the staff's practice, children benefit from access to a range of opportunities and experiences that staff expect will enhance and extend what they know and can do.

For example, children learn about the life cycle of chicks as they watch them hatch.Staff who are designated to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have good oversight of the additional support available to help these children. They understand the importance of targeted support and working in partnership with other professionals to ensure positive outcomes for all children.

Children benefit from lots of fresh air and physical exercise. Staff implement the outdoor curriculum intent well to help meet children's individual learning needs and interests. For example, older children giggle and scream with excitement as they play with a large parachute, which helps to promote collaboration and physical skills.

Younger children show pride in their achievements as they confidently ride a balance bike.Staff interactions with children during planned and child-led activities are varied, in particular for younger children. For example, Blueberry room staff do not interact well with children to extend their learning.

Some staff lack motivation and rarely communicate between each other. This does not encourage and support children's communication and language skills, or help to promote children's positive attitudes to learning. However, occasionally, children have opportunities to develop their attention and listening skills, such as when some staff enthusiastically sing songs and read stories.

Some staff do not always consider the needs of children. For example, too many staff leave Little Peaches and Pineapple rooms to carry out routine tasks. This occasionally leads to a chaotic learning environment as children become bored and unsettled.

Nonetheless, staff quickly intervene to help to promote children's positive behaviour, and they provide reassurance for those children who are upset.Leaders and staff share regular updates with parents about their children's learning and development, for a consistent approach. Parents speak positively about the care of their children and notice the progress they make over time.

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: strengthen staff interactions with children, particularly younger children, to help to promote children's communication and language skills and their attitudes to learning develop systems to monitor and raise the quality of teaching and learning to a higher level review and improve the organisation of the daily tasks carried out by staff to enable them to continue to meet children's needs and keep children engaged in purposeful learning.