Katharine Bruce Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff offer a welcoming and nurturing learning environment where children feel safe and secure. Children settle readily, make friends and play together in harmony.

They develop a very good sense of belonging and high levels of confidence. Children's behaviour is excellent. Staff know children well and are sensitive to their needs.

They introduce new activities to children and support their learning effectively. Children make good progress in relation to their individual starting points. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language equally learn well.<...br/>
Children enjoy their time at the nursery and become familiar with the daily routines. They engage well in a range of activities. For example, younger children are eager to explore pop-up toys and to listen to the sounds they make.

Older children are interested in the life of dinosaurs and develop good knowledge and understanding of how certain creatures lived in the past. Overall, children keenly investigate the natural world in the setting and their local community. Staff are caring and help children to express their feelings.

They explain activities well to children. However, they do not provide enough challenges to fully extend children's mathematical and problem-solving skills.

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

Staff gain relevant information from parents about what their children know and can do.

They use their knowledge to regularly assess the progress individual children make. When managers and staff identify issues in children's learning, they provide well-targeted support to help children catch up. They are confident to seek advice from relevant agencies to help children receive the appropriate support they need.

Children relate very well to each other and staff and develop their creativity and imagination well as they play. For example, younger children learn to roll, pat and cut play dough into different shapes. Older children are excited to observe how the different coloured paints change when they mix.

Staff hold discussions with children and support their speaking and listening skills effectively. There are some missed opportunities to help children further develop their mathematical skills and solve simple problems unaided.Staff are excellent role models for the children.

For example, they talk to children in a calm and constructive manner. They share their behaviour procedures with parents and children so that they are clear about their expectations. Children quickly follow the rules and codes of behaviour that help to keep them safe.

They learn to share resources fairly, take turns and respect the feelings of others. Children display very positive attitudes to learning. Older children offer a helping hand to the younger ones.

Children quickly become highly self-assured and confident learners.Staff help children adopt excellent healthy lifestyles. For example, children make healthy informed choices about the food they can eat.

They serve themselves and know that they need to wash their hands before eating to reduce the risk of infection. Children benefit from initiatives such as 'Brush Your Teeth' to raise awareness about the importance of dental hygiene. Children enjoy outdoor activities, fresh air and exercise.

Children have many opportunities to visit places of interest in their locality and to learn about the wider world around them. This helps children learn that they are unique and to be tolerant of others.Parents are pleased with the good progress their children make and confirm that staff help to boost their children's confidence and self-esteem.

They appreciate the valuable support they receive from this attentive staff team.Staff establish strong links with other providers to help ensure good continuity and progression in the children's learning and development.Managers supervise staff and offer them specific feedback to help them strengthen their teaching.

Staff attend courses to widen their skills.Managers and staff seek the views and comments of parents, children and outside professionals. This helps them identify their strengths and tackle areas for development effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The managers follow thorough recruitment processes that help to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with the children. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of child protection issues.

They are clear about the reporting procedures to follow if they have any concerns about the welfare of a child, to protect children in their care. They supervise children at all times and undertake regular risk assessments of the premises and resources to keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: noffer a high level of challenge to support and extend children's mathematical skills and ability to solve problems independently.