Home From Home Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

The provider's aspiration to create a safe 'home-from-home'-style nursery is evident the moment you step through the front door. The warm, welcoming environment has been meticulously designed to offer the highest-quality provision.

Children behave well and thrive in this happy, vibrant nursery. From the youngest age, they develop a real thirst for learning. They are highly motivated, fully engaged and benefit from a rich, diverse and exciting curriculum that is planned exclusively around their unique needs.

Visitors to the setting have included a deep-sea diver, who talked about his work. A parent who works as a... member of cabin crew visited to share with children her experiences of the wider world. The leadership is exceptional.

The combined expertise of the provider and manager offers a dynamic and inspirational management team. Their zest and persistence for excellence in all areas are impressive. The high calibre of staff, including three fully qualified teachers and an early years professional, means that children benefit from outstanding teaching across the nursery.

Children make rapid progress in their learning and leave the nursery ready to start school with confidence.

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

Children's behaviour is exemplary. From the youngest age, they show care, compassion and kindness to one another.

Staff act as excellent role models and teach children how to be respectful of each other and the environment.The curriculum provides a wealth of exciting opportunities. Pre-school children have formed strong links with residents in local care homes and enjoyed hosting a tea party for their new friends in the nursery garden.

Staff are highly motivated and dedicated to their role. They demonstrate a wealth of knowledge about every child and talk animatedly about the children they look after. Relationships between children, families and staff are exceedingly positive, and children settle quickly.

Younger children snuggle up to their key persons for comfort and reassurance and enjoy close interaction during activities, such as looking at picture books.Inspirational teaching means children are thoroughly engaged and show real interest in all activities. Pre-school children are currently enjoying an extensive range of creative learning associated with the story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk'.

The promotion of all areas of learning is impressive and is reflective of the outstanding teaching.The management team is skilled in developing the staff to the highest level. Managers actively seek out aspiring future leaders and nurture them through training to be successful in securing roles with more responsibility.

Staff are highly motivated by this programme and are keen to achieve their full potential. The monthly 'employee of the month' and annual staff awards are extremely successful in recognising achievement and celebrating the magnitude of skills within the team.Children develop an excellent range of skills to promote their future learning.

From a young age, they adopt a 'can-do' attitude and are gently supported by staff to have a go. Children show patience, determination and the ability to succeed. They help each other and show high levels of confidence, strong emotional well-being and a positive sense of self.

For example, when a two-year-old child achieved something she had been trying for some time, she beamed with pride and said, 'I did it!'.There are exceptional opportunities to support children's language skills. A plentiful range of favourite songs and stories means younger children quickly gain confidence in engaging in conversation before they move to pre-school.

Older children communicate competently. They ask searching questions and provide detailed responses when they converse with staff.Mathematical concepts are fully embedded in every activity.

For example, children count spontaneously and practise simple calculation. They weigh items and play with money in the 'Home-from-Home Bakery'. They measure how tall their creative beanstalk has grown and adopt a problem-solving approach to all tasks.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the nursery. One parent summarised the view of many by saying, 'The setting provides a nurturing environment in which every child feels valued and cared for'. Another parent praised the breadth and diversity of the nursery's curriculum by stating, 'A typical week could involve meeting a bearded dragon, making pizzas, going to the park, having a torch party and singing original versions of nursery rhymes.

And she's not even two yet'.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported extremely well to achieve their full potential.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff work tirelessly to make sure every child is safe. Stringent procedures are in place, which staff fully understand, to support children's well-being. For example, toddlers learn how to negotiate the stairs safely, and staff are trained effectively in how to manage this.

Older children learn to take safe risks in their play and begin to learn about possible hazards, such as being careful when using scissors. Extensive records are maintained to ensure that any concerns about a child's welfare are kept appropriately. Staff have an excellent understanding of their duty to report any safeguarding issues.

Also at this postcode