Hollies Loughborough Road Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children settle quickly with their key person and have strong relationships with them. Children have confidence to explore their environment and the toys that are on offer. They seek a reassuring cuddle when needed.

Younger children play hide and seek. Staff hide behind walls and let children find them, 'Boo!' staff say as children find them. Children giggle and put their hands up to their faces with excitement.

Children know the boundaries and behaviour expectations staff have for them. Older children all sit together with their high visibility jackets on ready to visit the woods, and, with adult prompts, recite the r...ules including, 'One, two, three, come to me.' Children are proud of themselves, toddlers clap at the end of their singing and say, 'Yay'.

Older children persist as they untie and tie knots in materials around trees. They smile and say, 'I did it'. when they succeed.

Children make friendships and respect one another. Older children laugh as they splash water in a paddling pool together. They enjoy working together as a group, taking turns to create their own water slide, as they tip water out of buckets onto a slide as other children slide down.

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

Leaders and managers have established a clear sequence of learning around what they want children to know, understand and be able to do. They support children to develop throughout their time in nursery and prepare them for transitions, for example, to school. This includes children who speak English as an additional language.

Staff provide opportunities to support children to gain independence. For example, pre-school children get themselves ready to go outside, taking their shoes off and changing into their swimwear. They pour their own drinks and serve themselves using large spoons at lunchtime.

Younger children feed themselves using cutlery, and babies are encouraged to use spoons as well as feeding themselves with their fingers.Staff support children to understand emotions. Staff read to children and children point to characters showing different emotions.

Staff ask children how the characters are feeling. Pre-school children comment, 'They feel sad.' Staff encourage children to show the different emotions using their faces.

Children make angry, scared and sad faces and talk about how to make the characters in the story happy again.Staff understand how to support the development of children's physical skills. The youngest children are encouraged to move around bare foot to support posture and muscle growth.

They climb up small steps and slide on the indoor slide. Toddlers stand up and join in with a session led by external providers, they wiggle their fingers up high, pretend to tickle their toes, and move their bodies to songs. Pre-school children climb onto a tyre swing and independently spin and swing on it.

Staff support children to explore the world around them. They talk to children about planting, growing and caring for different plants. Pre-school children water the plants and tell visitors that they are watering plants, 'because they need lots of water, to grow'.

Staff feel well supported by leaders and managers. They have access to a wide range of training and support for their own well-being. Leaders and managers provide regular meetings and supervisions to plan staff development.

They use videos to review practice and support staff to develop further.Parents share that they receive regular information about their child's day through an online system. They add that this helps them to extend learning at home.

For example, staff make short videos of themselves using simple sign language with their hands. They share these with parents. Parents comment that they use these with their children to help them request drinks at home.

Staff generally introduce children to new skills, knowledge and vocabulary. For example, outside toddlers are encouraged to, 'shake, shake, shake,' and, 'squeeze', paint out of bottles to create marks on large pieces of paper and then use sticks to make different marks. However, this is not consistent.

Some staff lack confidence to interact with children when children play independently, for example, younger children sit and observe other children playing, but staff do not talk to them about what they are seeing.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders, managers and staff have strong knowledge about the signs and symptoms of abuse.

This supports them to make referrals if needed, in order to keep children and their families safe. Leaders, managers and staff attend safeguarding training, which supports their knowledge of issues in society, such as extremism and radicalisation. Leaders and managers ensure new staff's suitability through appropriate recruitment checks, and check current staff's ongoing suitability regularly.

Leaders and managers also the check external providers that they use to ensure they are suitable. Leaders, managers and staff ensure the safety of equipment and spaces through risk assessments.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to develop their interactions with children further, to build on children's existing skills, knowledge and vocabulary.