Holyrood Day Nursery Castleton

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Leaders have taken swift and effective action to respond to the weaknesses that were raised at the last inspection. They have implemented an ambitious curriculum that is understood by staff. Leaders and staff are particularly skilled at supporting children's communication and language.

Staff provide an environment full of stories, songs and conversations. Staff model language clearly and teach children new words as they play. Children make good progress in their communication and language development.

Children receive a warm welcome from the enthusiastic staff at the nursery. Children demonstrate they feel safe and sec...ure as they separate from their parents and quickly become engaged in their play. Staff sing babies' favourite songs to settle them.

Caring relationships between staff and children have been established.Staff speak to children calmly and provide gentle reminders of the behavioural expectations. This supports children's positive behaviour.

Staff have high aspirations for what children can do for themselves. Children competently wash their own hands, serve their own food and feed themselves at mealtimes. They have a positive attitude to helping others.

For example, children pass out bowls at lunchtime and invite their peers to join in with their play. Children demonstrate high levels of self-esteem and confidence in their own abilities.

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

The new manager is committed and leads the team well.

Staff feel supported by leaders who strive to make continuous improvements to enhance the provision even further. The manager has a clear overview of the training needs of staff and provides them with a range of support and coaching. She has plans to target this support further to help staff to improve their individual skills over time.

However, these systems are in their infancy and are not yet fully embedded to continue to enhance staff practice.Leaders have implemented robust assessment procedures. Staff identify what children know, can do and what progress they have made.

Referrals to external professionals are made in a timely manner and staff follow their advice to support children's care and learning needs. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with children's key persons and parents to develop effective plans to support children to make good progress from their starting points.Staff provide activities that capture children's interests and build on their skills and knowledge.

As staff read aloud to children, they take the time to recap on previous learning. Children share what they know about the meaning of a title, author and blurb of a book. However, at times, staff do not always consider other distractions in the room to support all children's engagement.

As a result, at times in the day children are not as engaged or as focussed on their learning.Staff engage well with children and use opportunities as they arise to extend children's learning. For example, at mealtimes, staff introduce words such as full, empty and more as children serve their meals.

Staff encourage babies to walk on different surfaces when they are outside to build on their physical skills. They encourage older children to take risks as they balance on tyres. Staff are confident in how to build on children's skills and knowledge over time.

Staff provide children with an array of fun opportunities to develop their early mark making skills. Babies delight in exploring paint on the floor with rollers as they watch the marks they make. Children roll cars in different coloured paint and roll them down ramps.

Children stretch to reach the high points of the wall as they paint with water outside. These interesting experiences help children to develop the skills they need for later writing.Staff support children to develop a good awareness of their own health and well-being.

Staff discuss the benefits of eating healthily. Children talk about the need to drink lots of fresh water as this is good for their bodies and teeth. They take time to rest throughout the day in cosy spaces.

Children are encouraged to talk about their emotions and openly discuss with staff what makes them sad. These opportunities help children to develop their awareness of their own health and well-being.Parents are kept fully informed about their child's care needs and progress.

Staff share ideas for continuing their child's learning at home. Parents speak positively about the nursery. They have noticed their children's good progress, particularly with their communication and social skills since they started attending.

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: build on the current arrangements for staff coaching and supervision to better support them to raise the quality of their practice support staff to consider how to reduce distractions during activities to support children to remain engaged and focused on their learning.