Garforth Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Effective arrangements have been in place to support parents and children throughout the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Children's development has continued to flourish and there has been very little disruption to their learning. Children enter the nursery happily with big smiles on their faces, demonstrating that they thoroughly enjoy their time at nursery. Practitioners greet children and parents warmly on arrival.

This has had a positive impact on children's well-being, with more opportunities for them to develop self-confidence, independence and self-esteem. Children show positive attitudes towards their learning.... They behave very well.

Older children understand the 'golden rules' at nursery and talk about why these are in place. For example, they say they are to be kind to their friends and to keep everyone safe. Practitioners use effective ways to help children manage their feelings.

They make good use of books and comfortable quiet areas, both inside and outside, to support children and reassure them.The dedicated and passionate manager and her team provide good quality care and learning experiences, overall. The progressive curriculum supports and builds on what the children know and can already do.

Practitioners quickly respond to children's sparks of interest. Ongoing assessments swiftly identify any possible gaps in learning. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are extremely well supported and make strong progress in all areas of learning.

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

Practitioners respond instinctively to children's needs, promoting their problem-solving, critical thinking and language skills. Early mathematical concepts are taught well. Practitioners make best use of opportunities and incorporate skills, such as counting and recognising numbers, throughout the daily routine.

Pre-school children have opportunities to recognise letters and the sounds they represent. However, there are fewer opportunities for the most-able children, to develop their handwriting skills and promote their learning to an even higher level.Children are resilient and self-assured individuals.

They are developing a broad and reasoned understanding of respect and acceptance. Children cooperate well on tasks. They help one another and look after their environment as they help to tidy away the toys.

Overall, practitioners support children's communication and language skills very effectively and encourage children's imagination well. Children read stories to their friends. They giggle, sing and move their bodies enthusiastically during interactive song and dance activities.

However, on occasion, practitioners repeat the sounds the younger children make rather than modelling the correct word, to fully support their language development.Children enjoy activities based on what they know and can do. Practitioners fully understand how to follow children's interests.

Babies form close attachments to the practitioners who look after them. They snuggle up to staff when they need comfort and emotional reassurance. Babies thoroughly enjoy a paint activity.

They excitedly explore with their hands and are introduced to new language, such as 'squishy'.Skilled practitioners help children gain a wide range of physical skills. They ensure babies have plenty of room to crawl and begin to walk.

Children particularly enjoy playing in the stimulating outdoor areas and practitioners use this interest to build on their current skills. Older children practise and strengthen their physical skills as they learn to balance and climb.Children learn about living a healthy lifestyle, including increased handwashing and social distancing when appropriate.

Children know which foods are healthy and unhealthy. They demonstrate their independence skills, including serving their own food at snack times. This helps to prepare children well for the next stages of learning and their eventual move on to school.

There is a strong emphasis on continuous professional development to improve outcomes for children. Practitioners have regular supervision sessions and work well together to evaluate practice. The manager carries out regular observations of staff and observes their teaching practice.

Managers, leaders and practitioners are all extremely motivated, and the overall quality of teaching across the setting is very good.Parents state they are extremely happy with the service they receive. They value the daily feedback they receive about their child's day and achievements.

Parents report they are using the electronic assessment system in place more often. They use the information provided to keep up to date with their children's development and to support children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers, leaders and practitioners can clearly explain how they safeguard children. For example, they know the signs and symptoms of possible abuse and how to identify children that may be at risk of harm. They know how to report concerns about children to relevant agencies, to maintain their overall welfare.

There are clear procedures for handling an allegation made against a member of staff. Regular training ensures they have an up-to-date knowledge of all aspects of safeguarding. For example, the different forms of radicalisation that children may face.

Risk assessments ensure any hazards are minimised to keep children safe. Staff deployment is effective in ensuring children are safely supervised.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen knowledge of language development, to support babies communication and language skills to the highest level nimplement a wider range of inspiring experiences for most-able children to promote handwriting, to extend their literacy skills even more.

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