Goldilocks Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy, settled and develop well within the inclusive environment. A well-established key-person system helps children form secure attachments and positive relationships between staff and children.

Staff act as positive role models and are calm and consistent in their approach to managing children's behaviour. They give children gentle reminders to help them to understand behaviours that are acceptable and those that are not. Children's behaviour is good.

They demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. Staff ensure that children have a wide range of opportunities to be physically active and provide them w...ith healthy meals and snacks. However, occasionally they miss opportunities to talk to children about the importance of making healthy food choices, as part of leading a healthy lifestyle.

The manager and her enthusiastic team are committed to their roles and responsibilities. They have high expectations for every child and have developed a curriculum based on children's interests and what they need to learn next. Staff use the information they gather through observations of children to provide meaningful experiences, to help extend their learning further.

Overall, staff demonstrate a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They provide an abundance of opportunities to enhance children's communication and language skills, such as through books, stories, songs and rhymes. Children listen intently and respond positively to adults and each other.

They talk positively about themselves, their families and what makes them unique. However, occasionally, staff's interactions with children are unnecessarily interrupted, such as when they complete routine tasks.

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

Staff provide an abundance of resources and promote children's early mark-making and writing skills well.

Babies confidently make marks in sand, toddlers use chalk to draw lines, and older children regularly record their thoughts and ideas during their everyday play.Children's communication and language skills are supported very well. Staff in the baby room provide a constant narrative as they chat to the babies in their care.

Babies enjoy looking at books. They name and make sounds, such as pointing to a frog and making a frog sound. However, during some activities, staff move away from children to complete routine tasks, such as washing up.

This results in children losing interest in the activity as they follow their key person to other parts of the room.The manager and staff involve parents fully in their children's learning. They regularly discuss children's progress with parents and make suggestions on how they can support learning at home.

They communicate very well with parents, to find out what children already know and can do prior to attending the setting. This helps them to plan activities and experiences from the outset, to help extend children's knowledge and skills further.Staff provide good opportunities for children to gain an understanding of what makes them unique.

For example, parents provide photograph albums of children and their families. Younger children enjoy looking at these, and older children discuss the similarities and differences between the people in the photographs. Staff use these opportunities to build on children's mathematical skills, for example by asking them to count the candles on a birthday cake in a photograph.

Children understand that three candles mean that the child is three years old.Toddlers demonstrate good attention skills as they listen to stories that are familiar to them. Staff read with great enthusiasm and children become engrossed in the story.

Staff ask them questions to determine their level of understanding. Children confidently say what they see, predict what might happen next, and build on their vocabulary.Children of all ages enjoy playing in the well-resourced garden.

They learn about the importance of being physically active and use apparatus with confidence. However, although staff talk to children during mealtimes, they do not consistently have discussions with them about what they are eating and the positive impact that making healthy food choices has on their bodies.Staff work effectively with other professionals involved in children's care and have high expectations for all children.

They provide targeted support for children who need additional help. Subsequently, all children successfully develop the skills they need for their future learning, including school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and managers ensure that staff receive regular training to help them to identify any signs that may indicate concerns about a child's welfare. Managers responsible for safeguarding children are knowledgeable about safeguarding legislation and child protection issues. All staff know exactly what to do in the event they have any concerns about a child's welfare.

Robust recruitment procedures ensure that all staff working with children are suitable. Staff complete regular checks on the environment to help them to identify and eliminate any risks.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance opportunities for children to maintain their concentration and exploration during the times when staff leave activities to carry out routine tasks nencourage children to have a better understanding of the importance of making healthy food choices, as part of following a healthy lifestyle.