Holyrood Day Nursery Swinton

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Staff warmly greet children and their families as they arrive. Children happily enter the rooms, separating easily from their parents and engaging immediately in the well-planned learning experiences on offer.

They stay engaged in activities for long periods of time. This is due to the involvement and interaction from the staff, who seamlessly extend and evolve activities to make them entertaining. Staff support babies who are learning to walk or sit unaided.

They provide low-level tables and units where babies can pull themselves up and lots of space for babies to move about independently. They dangle items jus...t out of reach for babies to reach up and grasp to help develop their hand-eye coordination. Staff are constantly talking to the babies about what they are doing and modelling a two-way conversation based on their responses.

This promotes early conversation and encourages communication between the staff and the babies. Toddlers explore lots of open-ended resources, such as gloop and paint, to develop their senses and exploratory skills. Children flourish in this homely setting.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They sensitively remind children of the rules and boundaries of the setting and how they should behave towards their friends. Staff model manners and politeness when speaking to the children and each other, which shows them how to be respectful.

Staff support children to learn things for themselves and develop their independence. Older children help to set the table for lunch, providing their friends with cutlery in preparation for their meal. Staff provide children with opportunities to explore the world around them.

Staff and children plant bulbs to grow spring flowers in the garden, and staff support children to learn how to nurture them to help them grow.

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

Leaders and staff implement a clear and concise curriculum that supports the needs and interests of the children. Well-sequenced learning builds on what children already know and provides opportunities for them to practise and perfect those skills.

Meticulous tracking and assessment identify any gaps in their learning. This means any interventions are quickly put in place, enabling all children to make exceptional progress.Intuitive staff and a robust key-person system support children to develop secure and trusting relationships.

Staff seamlessly respond to the needs and wishes of the children. They plan experiences to support children's changing interests, and staff instinctively flow with their key children as these interests change throughout the day. As such, children are deeply engaged in their learning, which supports their ability to think and problem-solve independently.

Staff are marvellous role models to the children. They teach them about the behaviour expectations of the setting and how to be kind, courteous and respectful of each other. Staff support children to talk about their feelings and emotions and to think about how other children may be feeling.

This helps children to identify their own emotions and learn how to deal with them effectively, as well as teaching them empathy and compassion for others.Children's health and emotional well-being are central to this setting. Leaders and staff promote healthy eating and good physical health effectively and focus on children's emotional well-being.

They signpost families to dental health provision and promote the benefits of good oral health, including signposting to local dentistry services. This helps children to develop healthy routines and learn the benefits of good health and nutrition.Leaders and staff provide a highly inclusive environment in which children can flourish.

Staff work closely with parents and other agencies to provide the best support for all children, regardless of their needs and abilities. They plan individualised learning for each child based on their current needs and learning styles to ensure that every child can achieve to the best of their abilities and capabilities.Leaders and staff work closely with families to provide advice and support on issues such as toilet training, behaviour and sleep.

Parents speak very highly of the staff team and the 'homely environment' it has created for the children. They feel fully involved in their child's learning at every step. This provides them with the information and tools they need to continue to support learning at home.

Leaders promote staff well-being and target professional development effectively. They use observations, supervision and appraisal to celebrate strengths and identify their special skills. Leaders provide staff with endless opportunities to access further training to develop their teaching and learning skills and improve the quality of the provision for children.

The leadership team is strong and effective. It has a clear vision and strives for continuous improvement. Leaders work with the local authority and other outside agencies to continually improve their practice and their offer to children and families.

This enables them to offer the highest possible levels of care and learning for all children and their families.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.