Hydra Tots

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children feel safe and are confident.

They mix happily and easily with adults and other children. Staff build strong bonds with parents, which helps to support children's confidence and sense of well-being. The leadership team has very high expectations and is ambitious for every child to reach their full potential.

Leaders set an extremely positive example for all staff through their energy, commitment and knowledge of the early years curriculum. Consequently, staff morale is high, and the quality of teaching and learning is excellent. Children are extremely happy and inquisitive.

The nursery provides ...a bright, stimulating and highly motivating environment for all children to learn and develop. Staff work extremely well as a team. They provide activities which capture children's interests with thought-provoking resources.

For example, children act out favourite stories using purpose-made puppets, masks and other props. Babies strengthen their sensory awareness through playing with glittery foams, flowing fabrics and many natural objects. Children are very well behaved.

They show kindness and consideration towards others. Children acquire high levels of independence. For instance, they develop their own imaginative play, and create and serve snacks for themselves.

Children are thoroughly prepared for the next stage of their education, including starting school. The nursery strongly lives up to its motto of 'A magical day of learning through play'.

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

The leadership team is sharply focused on ensuring the highest standards in all aspects of provision.

Staff are well qualified and are strongly supported to achieve more. They are fully involved in evaluating and improving the nursery and making the most of all training opportunities. This is evident in staff's consistent interactions with all children and the breadth of their skills.

For example, they use sign language to support those children who find communication and learning more difficult.Children's physical development is rigorously promoted. Babies have access to well-planned resources for pulling themselves into standing positions, balancing and climbing steps.

Staff encourage them to reach further and stay on their feet for longer. They motivate babies with smiles, songs and praise. Older children enjoy yoga and gymnastic activities.

They follow staff's excellent examples of stretching, curling and forming frozen statues. Children count their heartbeats and explain that their hearts beat faster after exercise to pump blood around their body.Staff encourage children to have high levels of independence and take responsibility for themselves.

They create a warm and caring environment where children feel safe to be themselves and recognise the needs of others. Children take responsible roles. For example, they enjoy being a 'snack monitor', where they help to ensure that children say 'please' and 'thank you' and wash their hands properly.

Staff often match these roles to support children's learning needs, such as building their confidence or strengthening their speaking skills.Procedures to observe and assess children's progress are clear and effective. Staff have well-defined roles as children's key persons.

They liaise closely with other professionals, such as medical staff or educational psychologists, to identify and support children's specific needs. Staff work diligently and imaginatively to address any gaps in children's achievement. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make extremely good progress during their time at the nursery.

Children develop their speaking, early reading and writing skills very well. Children hear well-told stories throughout the day which are carefully tailored to their age and ability. Staff weave stories into many of the activities children undertake to create memorable experiences.

Staff constantly promote a broad and exciting vocabulary. For instance, babies love to join in songs about jungle animals and their homes as they pull giant soft toy giraffes and lions up their soft-play staircase. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language to access nursery rhymes in their home language.

This helps to enrich their communication skills.Parents hold the nursery in very high regard. They appreciate the warm and caring attitudes of the staff.

Parents remark on the excellent sharing of information, guidance and resources for learning at home. They typically comment on how staff focus on every detail of their children's development, and provide a vibrant, ever-changing and stimulating environment.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff receive rigorous training in safeguarding and child protection, and benefit from regular refreshers. They are extremely confident in their knowledge of all safeguarding matters. Staff are fully aware of the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm.

They know how to record any concerns and where to report them. Managers check that all staff remain suitable to work with children and they have robust safe recruitment procedures for employing and monitoring new staff. Staff supervise children exceedingly well and ensure a safe environment is maintained for the children.