Kids Planet Stone

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children receive a warm welcome from staff when they arrive to start their day.

Staff have established good bonds with children. This helps children to feel safe, secure, and settled in their care. Children show they know the routines of the day.

For example, younger children excitedly move over to the table when the chairs are put out in preparation for snack time. Pre-school children respond instantly when staff clap their hands indicating they want the children's attention. Children behave well because staff act as good role models.

Staff have a good knowledge of children's individual needs. They use this k...nowledge well to support children's emotional well-being. For example, when children are shy when visitors are present, staff offer them cuddles comfort and reassurance.

Staff provide a rich and varied curriculum. They engage well with children as they play and explore. This helps children to develop a positive attitude to learning.

For example, staff encourage toddlers to add different flowers to the water as they are making different 'potions'. Staff talk to the children about the different smells and encourage them to smell them before adding to the water and then once again when they are in the water. Children are engaged in purposeful play opportunities throughout the day.

This helps all children to make good progress in their learning and development.

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

Staff have a very good understanding of how young children learn and develop. They use their observations and assessments of children to plan what they need to learn next.

Children readily join in with the exciting learning opportunities staff provide. However, staff could focus more precisely on children's next steps during some activities to help them make even more progress in their learning.Children's communication and language skills are very well supported throughout the nursery.

Staff working with babies and toddlers encourage them to join in with songs and rhymes. Pre-school children enjoy listening to well read stories. Staff introduce new words and carefully explain their meaning.

For example, staff lead interesting discussions with children explaining how a moat is something that surrounds a fortress. Children become confident communicators and happily engage in conversations with visitors.Children's health is promoted well.

Meal and snack times are social occasions. Staff sit with children in small groups and engage children in discussions. Older children confidently serve themselves their food.

Children have access to fresh drinking water throughout the day. Their individual dietary needs are well catered for by the on-site cook. Children benefit from daily fresh air and exercise.

Staff promote children's physical skills well. Children thoroughly enjoy exploring the outdoor environment where they can practise running, climbing, and balancing. Indoors children develop their small muscles skills as they learn to use tools when playing with dough.

Staff report that they feel extremely well supported by leaders and managers. They express how they feel valued as staff members and enjoy working within the friendly and happy team. Staff benefit from ongoing supervision sessions and have opportunities to attend further training.

However, leaders and managers could focus more on the support apprentices within the team receive to help them to build further on their existing knowledge and skills.Partnership with parents and carers are effective. Staff take time before children start at the nursery to ensure they have gathered the information they need to help support the children's individual needs from the very start.

Staff share regular information to ensure they are kept up to date about their children's time at the nursery. Carers spoken to on the day of inspection, say that staff are 'kind and caring'.Staff manage children's behaviour well.

Staff use gentle, age-appropriate reminders to help children understand what is expected from them. Children show pride as they follow requests to help tidy up before going outside to play. Staff talk to children about their emotions.

This helps children to begin to understand and regulate their own feelings.Leaders and managers are committed to ensuring the required standards are continually met. They ensure the staff are deployed effectively to meet the needs of the children and ensure the required staff to child ratios are maintained.

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: nuse children's planned next steps for learning more frequently to help them make even more progress build on staff's professional development for apprentices to help raise the quality of teaching even further.