Grove Cottage

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and are excited to enter this unique nursery. They develop very strong relationships with staff, who know them exceptionally well. Staff follow children's individual routines meticulously, which helps children to settle and feel safe and secure at the nursery.

The managers and staff have a strong understanding of how children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn. The curriculum is differentiated, with teaching tailored to each child's specific learning needs and preferences. Staff closely follow children's interests and build on what they already know and can do.

This me...ans that children are supported to achieve to the best of their capabilities.Children are learning how to do things for themselves. Staff help children to choose using words, signing and visual aids.

Their firm, but fair, approach enables children to express their views and ask for help. Strong relationships between children and their key persons are evident. When children find some situations overwhelming, their key persons offer positive reassurance.

This results in children quickly feeling calm and re-engaging in play and learning. Children help to tidy up and put away their place mats after snack. Some do this very independently, while others are supported by staff to achieve.

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

All children who attend this specialist nursery have SEND and are supported extremely well. Managers and staff gain in-depth information about children when they start to attend. This helps them to devise and implement personalised plans to meet each child's learning needs.

There are very effective strategies in place to share information with parents and other professionals. As a result, all children are making consistent progress from their starting points in learning.Children benefit from spending time in the outdoor learning environment.

There is a wide variety of resources and equipment that children have access to. Children enjoy many sensory experiences, such as through using water and soil. Staff give them time to truly engage in their chosen activity without interruption.

Staff adopt strong and extremely successful partnerships with parents. Parents completely value staff's support and guidance about child development. They comment that staff not only support the children but also the whole family and say they do not know what they would have done without their input.

Staff continually share information about children's learning so that parents can continue this at home.Staff plan and carry out group times for children with great precision. All children thoroughly enjoy these times and are completely engrossed.

Staff use many ways to welcome children. For example, children can choose to use words, signing, high fives or press a button to play an automated hello. Children learn how to wait and take turns.

Staff sensitively introduce mathematics, such as clearly counting numbers down as they launch a rocket. Children wait with excited anticipation and know when it is their turn to launch.Staff work very closely with the schools children move on to.

They share detailed information with teachers and other professionals to enable the transition for children to be seamless. Staff invite teachers to visit children in the nursery to enable them to observe them where they feel secure. They attend meetings with parents as they understand how stressful it can be for parents when their children start school.

The strong leadership and management team have a clear vision for continual improvement. Plans for a new building are well underway and they have a strong vision for the continued success of the nursery. The managers know the importance of continuous professional development for staff and its impact on practice.

They provide staff with regular staff meetings and undertake some observations of their teaching and practice. However, information gained through these observations is not used to tailor the ongong support for staff as individuals. Additionally, supervision meetings are not carried out regularly enough to ensure meaningful engagement with staff is consistently maintained.

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: nenhance the arrangements for supervision of staff to further support their ongoing development.