Jumping Jacks Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children have good relationships with staff.

They enjoy playing with staff and are keen to share experiences from home with them. Staff respond affectionately to children and take an interest in what they say and do. Staff provide opportunities for children to explore materials such as jelly and water.

They teach children that jelly feels sticky and is wet like the water. They help children to make comparisons and teach them that it takes more jelly than water to fill a container. Children develop their concentration as staff hide vegetables in a tray of soil.

They engage well and show pleasure as they try to ...find the vegetables. Staff encourage them to persevere until they find the hidden items. This supports children to be active learners who can maintain their attention.

Staff know the activities that younger children are enthusiastic to join in with, and they extend children's vocabulary as they talk to them while they play. Children develop positive attitudes to learning as they learn to keep themselves healthy. They enjoy spending time outdoors, where they participate in some stretching exercises.

Indoors, staff role model yoga poses, which children then copy. Children respond well to staff when directed to move their bodies in different ways. At mealtimes, children are taught how vegetables are important for their health and about which foods are not so healthy.

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

Leaders have a good understanding of what they want children to learn. They devise a curriculum that enables children to build on what they already know and can do. Children have opportunities to practise new skills, which helps them to consolidate their learning.

Children behave well. They use manners without prompting and show kindness to others. For example, they offer to share their fruit with their friends during mealtimes.

Staff remind children of behaviour expectations and ask them not to run when they are indoors. This supports children to learn how to behave appropriately.Children become good communicators.

Staff talk to children during their play and extend the language they use. For example, staff introduce words such as 'transparent' to children and explain to them that this means something is clear. They talk to children about visiting an aquarium and discuss the creatures they have seen, such as sharks and swordfish.

This enhances children's knowledge and extends their vocabulary.Children develop their independence. They serve themselves food at lunchtime and are assigned jobs, such as snack monitor, where they are given the responsibility of making sure their friends have plates for their food.

Children enjoy these roles and are enthusiastic about carrying them out. Additionally, older children take on the role of committee members. They meet with leaders and put forward ideas of what they would like to introduce into their nursery experience.

This gives children ownership of what they do and builds their confidence in expressing their own needs.Staff review children's development and devise next steps based on what they know children need to learn next. However, staff working with the older children do not consistently plan a range of stimulating activities that fully capture children's interest and engagement.

As a result, not all children make the very best progress in their learning.Parents speak positively about the care their children receive. They feel listened to and receive regular communication about their children's learning.

They say their children are happy and staff are friendly. Leaders understand the importance of including parents in their children's nursery experience and prioritise maintaining a strong partnership with them.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported.

Leaders identify where children need extra support and act swiftly to put plans in place for them. They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children receive coordinated support that helps them to make progress.Leaders provide regular supervision meetings for staff.

They ensure that staff understand nursery policies and procedures and are up to date with mandatory training. They complete observations of staff practice. However, opportunities to further staff's professional development are not always focused enough on addressing gaps in staff's understanding of how to promote children's learning even further.

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: help staff to understand how to plan challenging and stimulating activities that fully support all children's engagement and interest develop a more focused programme of professional development to support staff in their understanding of how to promote children's learning even further.