Ibstock Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children new to the setting are carefully inducted to make their transition as smooth as possible.

Staff are kind and attentive, which supports children to develop secure bonds with them. They recognise the importance of children having routines. Staff use visual timetables to help children understand what is happening now and what is going to happen next.

Babies show they are aware of the routines. For instance, they know to sit at the lunch table after washing their hands and when to group together ready for singing time. This promotes children's independence and fosters a positive sense of self.

Children fo...rm close friendships with one another. They are kind and helpful and work well together to complete tasks. For example, during outside play, children help their friends cross the wobbly bridge and negotiate their way over tree logs.

Additionally, this supports children in developing their physical skills, building on their core strength and coordination. Children use the space outdoors to chase bubbles. They giggle and squeal as they jump up to pop them.

Staff use the activity to encourage children to count the bubbles they pop. They are elated when children count from 1-5 for the first time. Staff share children's achievements with their colleagues and parents.

This builds children's confidence and self-esteem.

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

Staff have clear learning intentions for all children. They implement a curriculum that supports children to make progress, building on previous learning and experiences.

For instance, staff remind children about a visit from the fire brigade. Children recall they need water to put out a fire. They use water spray bottles to squirt at a painted image of a fire to make it disappear.

Furthermore, children use previous learning about colour mixing. They know adding red and green liquid to water will turn it brown.The staff are good role models, and the children behave well.

Staff use a consistent, calm and gentle tone with each other and the children. This fosters respectful relationships. Staff have high expectations and encourage children to listen to each other, share and take turns.

Children respond to gentle reminders from staff, such as to use 'kind hands'.Parents speak highly of the nursery. They comment on the warm and caring relationships between staff and children.

Parents say they receive information about their children through an electronic system, parent evenings, and daily feedback. While parents know what their children are doing at the nursery, staff are not always giving parents clear information about their child's next stage of learning. Furthermore, staff do not consistently share ideas with parents to help with learning at home.

Staff support children's mathematical development and skilfully weave this area of learning through play. For instance, children use weighing scales to measure the weight of compost. Staff use this opportunity to support children's number recognition.

Additionally, children hear spatial language as staff refer to objects being bigger or smaller and moving up and down. Children are acquiring early mathematical knowledge in preparation for later learning.Staff feel supported, valued, and respected by leaders.

Effective strategies, such as staff supervision and individual meetings, are held to evaluate workloads and promote staff well-being. Staff are offered frequent training opportunities to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.Staff find out about children's interests and current stages of development before they start at the nursery.

This helps them to understand what children already know and can do. That said, staff do not always use information effectively. For example, when completing assessments, they do not always accurately reflect on children's level of development to help them identify appropriate next steps.

Children are starting to learn the importance of healthy lifestyles and good oral hygiene through the curriculum. For instance, staff have developed links with health visitors and supply toothbrushes and toothpaste for families. They renamed their snack time to 'fruit and vegetable time' to encourage children to make healthy choices.

Staff support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They act swiftly when gaps in children's learning are identified. Staff work effectively with other agencies to ensure that children receive the support they need.

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: nimprove strategies for sharing information with parents so they are clear about the next steps for their children's learning and development and to share ideas to help support their learning at home strengthen the use of assessment to understand the level of development for each child and provide them with the most appropriate learning experiences.

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