Kids Planet Apley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children leave their parents with ease when they arrive at this busy and friendly nursery. Appropriate support is given to promote children's emotional security. Staff are kind and caring and children form close bonds with them.

Babies receive nurturing care and support. Children demonstrate that they are happy and settled and generally enjoy their time at nursery.Staff use some appropriate strategies to promote learning.

They support literacy development as they encourage children to look at books and share stories. Staff recognise the importance of promoting language and communication skills. They talk to children, narr...ate what they are doing and encourage children to join them to sing songs and rhymes.

However, the overall quality of teaching is too variable. Not all staff are skilled at how to listen, respond and question children to fully enhance communication development. Staff do not consistently implement a sequenced educational programme based on what children need to learn next, to build on their learning sufficiently.

Staff do not consistently support children to behave well and understand what is expected of them. For example, although one of the nursery golden rules is to walk indoors, staff ignore times when children run across the room. This sometimes results in children falling over.

At other times, staff do not address pre-school children when they throw food or upset their peers.

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

Leaders and managers have worked hard to raise the overall quality since the last inspection and many improvements are evident. Staff morale is high, and they feel supported and valued by management.

The manager recognises that there is still work to do to and the whole team is committed to further improvements. Although staff receive ongoing support, supervision and training, the overall quality of teaching is not strong enough. As a result, children do not benefit from consistently rich and skilled interactions to fully extend their learning.

Overall, risk assessment is effective, and staff are alert to potential hazards in the environment. Although staff and leaders recognise risks and have plans in place to address them, they do not always act swiftly enough. For example, they identify the potential risk of children catching their hands or fingers in doors.

However, when this was raised during the inspection, leaders took immediate action to minimise the risk and, therefore, the impact for children was minimal.Leaders have devised a clear and coherent curriculum for each age group in the nursery. They know what they want staff to teach children and when.

However, not all staff have a good enough understanding about what children need to learn next and how to plan for this effectively. As a result, although children make some progress in their learning, they do not make the progress of which they are capable.That said, practice in the baby room is more consistent.

Staff working with the youngest children demonstrate a sound understanding of how to enhance their learning and development. They provide plenty of opportunities for babies to strengthen their core bodies as they progress from sitting to crawling. Babies explore a range of toys and resources freely.

Staff support them to utter first words and sounds as they model and repeat simple words and songs.Staff ensure that all areas of the nursery are clean and hygienic. Suitable practice is in place to help promote children's health.

For example, children benefit from plenty of fresh air and exercise. Children develop physical skills as they climb, build and balance in the outdoor areas. They enjoy healthy and balanced meals and snacks prepared by the dedicated nursery cook.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support. The practitioner designated to support these children understands their individual needs. Staff work with parents and other professionals involved in children's care to implement plans and targets to help close any gaps in learning.

Parents comment that their children enjoy attending and that they are forming friendships as they play alongside their peers. Staff share information with parents in a variety of ways. They speak to parents regularly, send emails and correspond through an electronic app.

Children use the nursery lending library to take books home. This helps to establish a collaborative approach to children's care and learning.

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 meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date provide a consistently strong curriculum across all age groups, to engage children in sequenced and focused learning to help them to make good progress 28/06/2024 implement appropriate strategies to promote positive behaviour 28/06/2024 build on the supervision and support for staff to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently good level.28/06/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to develop the focus on risk assessment to address any potential hazards even more swiftly.