Hall Farm Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children build warm and trusting relationships with staff. They sit together at activities and engage in meaningful conversations. Children choose their favourite book and are confident to approach staff to ask them to read the story.

Staff respond enthusiastically and show children that they respect their choices. This supports children's all-round well-being and helps them to feel safe and secure.Children develop good social skills from a young age.

Staff use appropriate strategies to help younger children learn to share resources and wait for their turn. Some older children show advanced skills. They negotiate with ...each other, wait patiently and identify whose turn is next.

Children enjoy their time at the nursery. They happily join in the varied range of activities that staff plan for them. Staff know the children well and understand how to help them to continue their good progress.

They ask children searching questions and give them time to think and respond. Children think creatively, for example, they consider what objects they could find in the room to make a 'spaceship'. Staff give younger children opportunities to identify and sort small-world animals.

They encourage children to name and count the animals. Children engage well and show their desire to learn.

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

Leaders and managers have taken prompt and decisive action to address all weaknesses identified at the last inspection.

They have worked closely with the local authority and have engaged constructively with staff. They have thoroughly evaluated their policies and procedures. Leaders and managers continue to seek and test out ways to develop the nursery provision further.

They demonstrate their commitment to provide all children with good-quality care and education.Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They carry out precise assessments of their capabilities.

Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to develop targeted plans, taking account of each child's interests and individual characteristics. Staff plan meaningful learning opportunities to help children make sustained progress.Some staff demonstrate excellent teaching skills.

They engage children for prolonged periods in purposeful play. They skilfully challenge children and incorporate their interests into play. For example, children listen to and engage in a story about space, learn to count backwards and make up imaginary stories.

Staff enhance children's ideas and bring them to life using props. However, on occasions, staff are not aware of times when some children begin to lose their concentration during free play. They miss opportunities to help children to regain their focus and engagement.

Children learn to be independent and have many opportunities to have a go at small tasks for themselves. Staff skilfully use routines of the day to promote children's independence. Younger children enthusiastically tidy away resources and help to prepare the table for lunch.

They listen to staff and follow their instructions. Older children capably dress themselves to go outdoors and take care of their belongings.Leaders and managers support staff well.

They check on staff's knowledge and help them to access training to enhance their practice. They offer less-experienced staff highly targeted professional development opportunities and monitor their performance closely. Senior staff access rich learning opportunities, including in other countries.

Their experiences help them to implement new ideas and initiatives into the nursery. This has a positive impact, for example, on children's independence and self-regulation.Younger children are provided with gentle support and comfort from their key person.

This is particularly supportive of younger children who are new to the nursery and those who are finding it difficult to separate from their parents. Staff foster meaningful discussions with parents to gather specific information about children's care routines and ensure these are well planned for in the nursery. However, staff do not always make the best use of the information they gather about younger children's learning preferences and interests, to help deepen children's experiences and ensure activities are consistently inspiring and highly challenging.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and managers are thoroughly committed to safeguarding children. They hold regular discussions with staff and check on their safeguarding knowledge.

Staff demonstrate their secure understanding of the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. They know the procedures they must follow to report their concerns. Additionally, they know the senior safeguarding practitioner's responsibilities and to which agencies they must report.

Leaders and managers who are responsible for recruiting staff follow safe recruitment procedures. They carry out rigorous checks to ensure only those suitable to work with children do so, and make regular checks on staff's continued suitability to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen teaching so that staff promptly respond and regain older children's engagement and concentration when they become less focused during free play make even better use of the information gathered about children's interests to ensure learning activities are highly challenging and engaging for younger children.