Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries - Acton Park

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The management team and staff provide a warm and welcoming environment where children confidently explore and make choices from the well-organised resources on offer.

Staff provide effective settling-in and transition sessions to ensure all children feel safe and secure and therefore are ready to learn. Children eagerly invite staff into their play and enjoy lots of cuddles and comfort when needed. For example, babies enjoy playing with different farm animals and sensory play, exploring the different textures.

The management team and staff plan an ambitious curriculum for children. They encourage children to be curious... about the world around them and introduce activities to develop this. For example, children delight in exploring different ways to melt ice, they watch in awe as they mix colours and textures as the ice melts to release their favourite toys.

The management and the leadership team have carried out improvements since the last inspection. Staff follow good hygiene practices which support children's good health. For example, children independently wash their hands before meal times.

Staff have high expectations for all children. A consistent approach to managing behaviour ensures children feel valued and listened to. Children behave well and have good attitudes towards learning.

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

The management team and staff have a good understanding of their curriculum and what they want children to learn. They effectively plan activities based around children's interests and next steps in learning to ensure all children make good progress. However, at times staff lack the confidence to extend some activities even further for the more capable children to further their development.

Staff monitor children's development effectively and quickly identify any gaps in children's learning. They provide extra support and work closely with other professionals and parents to ensure all children make good progress and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.Children have a range of play opportunities to build their physical development.

Children using threading to build their small finger muscles and staff encourage them to keep trying when they run into difficulties. This helps to build children's resilience. Older children enjoy exploring play dough as they knead, roll and pull the dough into shapes.

Outside, children use tricycles and invite their friends on the back to explore the garden. Children demonstrate kindness to one another and behave well. They enjoy taking risks as they learn to balance on the boards with confidence.

Children enjoy sharing their achievements with staff who offer praise.Staff support children's communication skills well. With younger children they sing lots of songs which children join in with, they describe what children are doing and what they can see.

With older children they introduce new vocabulary and ask questions to extend children's thinking skills. However, at times, they don't always give children enough time to think and respond.Children hear mathematical language throughout their play.

Staff count resources through fun experiences. As children play in the mud kitchen staff talk about how 'heavy' or 'full' the bowls are, which children fill. Children share how the bowls are only 'halfway', expressing their knowledge of quantities.

The management team supports staff effectively. For example, staff complete peer on peer observations and have regular meetings to discuss their progress and any concerns. The management team also provides regular coaching and mentoring to staff.

The staff's well-being is very important to the provider. Staff attend regular check ins with the management team and have access to health services if needed.The management team regularly reflects on the setting's practice and collects information from parents and children to make improvements.

For example, parents attend a parents forum and there is a children's council for children to share their views about the nursery.The management team and staff have good relationships with parents. They keep them involved and up to date with their children's learning through online applications and parents are invited to regular events such as curriculum evenings to learn about what their children do at nursery.

Staff support children to develop their independence skills effectively. For example, at meal times, babies learn to feed themselves and older children enjoy serving themselves and pouring their own drinks. Older children also learn to dress themselves before going outside and enjoy helping with tasks such and cleaning the tables and sweeping up.

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: support staff in developing their skills on how to extend children's learning even further give children enough time to process their thoughts, to enable them to think and respond to questions and express themselves.