Honeyshute Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy entering the nursery.

They are greeted by friendly, welcoming staff. Children are excited to share their news as soon as they enter, one child saying, 'I have a lovely new haircut!' The children enjoy positive relationships with staff and their peers. Children are well behaved and extremely kind to each other.

For example, a child rubbed a baby's back when they woke up from a sleep, and said 'good morning' to them.There are plenty of opportunities for children to develop curiosity and explore in the nursery and outdoors. In the pre-school room, there are interest tables to develop children's understa...nding of the world.

There is a secure garden, where children confidently participate in imaginative play. In the wooded area of the garden, children make 'hot chocolate' using pots, pans and mud. They pretend to drink the hot chocolate while hiding in their tree den.

This supports the development of their social skills.The team implements a broad curriculum, and this helps to support children to make progress. Staff plan experiences that interest the children.

The children have key-person time, when they do targeted work in small groups on their next steps, helping them to progress.

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

The members of the management team are passionate about providing good-quality experiences for children in their care. The experiences provided are enjoyable and varied and take children's interests into consideration.

Staff plan activities to widen children's experiences. For example, children did a nature hunt and used clipboards and pencils as they ticked off what they could spot in the garden. They got very excited when they saw a bird in the tree, which sparked conversations about their home lives.

Staff promote a love of reading. There are comfortable chairs for the children to get cosy in and relax. Books are also shared and taken home, which supports children's early literacy skills.

Mathematics is naturally incorporated into most of the activities provided. Children particularly enjoy mathematics games, counting and identifying colours. Children are supported to use mathematical language while making play dough, using words such as 'less' and 'more' when weighing ingredients.

Children are encouraged to be independent. They pour their own drinks in the pre-school room and independently get tissues to blow their own noses.Babies are carefully supported in learning to walk.

Staff talk with encouragement and real kindness and give children time needed to respond. Babies giggle with joy and happiness at their achievements.The babies confidently explore the room, accessing resources for themselves.

The experiences for the babies, such as playing with play dough, are age-appropriate. However, staff do not consistently consider how to challenge the more able babies suitably, to ensure their engagement.Children who need extra support have targeted plans.

Well-thought-out resources have been purchased to support the development of these children and ensure they make good progress.Parents are happy with the nursery and are aware of their children's key person, although there have been recent changes. They feel they are kept up to date with their children's development.

One parent explained how the staff had gone 'above and beyond' in supporting their family when there was a bereavement.The nursery team works in partnership with the schools that the children transition to. The staff understand the phonics scheme that schools use.

During the summer term, teachers from Reception come to the nursery to read stories to the children. This helps to build relationships before the children start school, providing a smooth transition.Staff have regular supervisions with the manager, where targets are set.

However, the management team does not consistently identify and monitor gaps in knowledge in less-experienced staff, to extend staff skills even further.Staff have a passion for early years education, and this shows in their communication with the children. They speak about genuinely loving their jobs.

Staff feel that their workload is manageable and that they get support from the management team.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The management team and staff have an understanding of child protection and their roles in safeguarding children.

Staff know who to report any safeguarding concerns to, including how they manage an allegation. Staff undertake effective risk assessment of the nursery. They carry out daily checks on the garden to ensure the area is safe.

Staff are deployed well to ensure children are well supervised at all times. The management team has a good understanding of safer recruitment processes to ensure that staff are suitable 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: continue to develop the knowledge and understanding of less-qualified staff nenhance staff engagement in the baby room so that all children are suitably challenged.

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