Humpty Dumpty’s

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Staff work together well as a strong team. They have worked hard to make improvements since the last inspection. However, some further improvement is needed to ensure that support for staff and curriculum implementation fully supports children's learning.

Despite this, all children are happy in the setting, and staff aim to provide a relaxing, home-from-home environment. Children who arrive initially upset receive comfort from caring and supportive staff. This ensures that children soon settle and feel safe and secure within the setting.

Children form strong bonds with staff and peers and make friendship groups. They also... talk about what they like to do at the setting, such as 'play with their friends', 'play outside' and 'play with the dinosaurs and the water'. Children enjoy looking at books and can recite familiar stories.

They also seek out staff to read stories to them, which they do, promoting children's early literacy skills. There is a strong focus on promoting children's communication and language. Children have regular opportunities for choosing stories, songs and action rhymes throughout the day.

Children are well behaved. They demonstrate a sense of belonging and show an understanding of the setting's routines and expectations. For example, children happily participate in tidying away toys, and they sing while doing so.

Staff regularly promote children's independence during the daily routine. For example, children put on their own coats and wellies and serve their own breakfast and lunch where possible. Babies are also supported to sit at a dining table with older children, to feed themselves and use a cup without a lid.

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

There is a curriculum in place to support children's learning in all areas of development. However, staff do not have a full understanding of how to implement this to support children's learning fully. For example, resources are not always age-appropriate to support children's physical skills.

Older children have chunky chalks, while babies have thin chalks. Babies struggle to use the thin chalks, as they snap whenever they try to use them. Staff have not fully considered the progressive steps children go through in order plan effectively for their learning.

However, this does not impact on children's attitude to learning, or their confidence, as they constantly persevere and try to use the chalks.There are regular procedures in place for staff supervision and support. However, the manager does not always help staff to identify what they do well, what they have learned from training, or how to address any possible areas for further improvement.

This would enhance the quality of teaching and help children to make good progress.Children have a positive attitude towards learning. They are busy, engaged and persevere for extended periods of time when attempting tasks.

For example, children are persistent and try very hard when using scissors. However, staff are not always vigilant enough to realise when children need additional support and modelling, such as demonstrating how to hold and use scissors correctly.Staff also work well in partnership with other settings and local schools.

Children are well supported when they move to other settings. However, room moves within the setting are not as effective. For example, children with strong communication skills do not benefit from being with others of a similar ability, to progress their skills even further.

This is because they do not move rooms until their birthday, rather than when they are developmentally ready. That said, children show they are curious and enjoy their learning on a one-to-one basis with staff.Staff work well in partnership with parents and carers.

They receive detailed information from parents about each child. Staff then use the information as a basis for children's individual care and learning. Staff keep parents regularly informed about their child's development and progress.

This includes through detailed reports when a child is aged between two and three years. The reports also include how parents can support their child's learning and development at home.Children have opportunities to solve problems independently.

For example, they find a smaller item to scoop up water when they realise that the measuring jug is too big. They also cooperate and negotiate together when completing large floor puzzles in pairs. This promotes children's social development.

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: strengthen the implementation of the curriculum so there is a clear understanding of the skills children need and how they will be supported to develop these throughout the nursery continue to strengthen staff supervision procedures to identify staff's strengths and weaknesses in teaching and to evaluate the effectiveness of training completed by staff nimprove teaching skills, such as by modelling how to use scissors correctly, to ensure that staff provide timely and appropriate support to extend children's learning and skills consider procedures within the nursery so that children benefit from moving to the next age group when they are ready, rather than when their age dictates.