Kingswood Community Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are looked after by kind and caring staff and develop strong relationships with their key persons. Children who are new to the setting settle quickly and enjoy spending time with their new friends. Daily routines are well established, and children demonstrate their understanding of these as they collect their coats before going outside and wash their hands before sitting down for snacks.

Simple and effective methods are used to promote children's independence. Children, with the support of staff, select their name from the wall to self-register for their snack, pour their own drinks and choose what they want to eat. Ch...ildren benefit from sensitive interactions with staff, who deploy themselves well to meet their care and learning needs and to ensure that they are kept safe.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit equally from the well-planned and carefully resourced environment. Children confidently explore the indoor and outdoor environment and choose what they want to play with. Overall, children behave well, and staff work hard to implement strategies with children that support them to regulate their own behaviour.

Staff are good role models and help children understand their behaviours and what is expected of them. For example, as children play alongside their friends in the garden, they learn to share their favourite construction toys. Staff sit with children and support them to understand the concept of waiting for their turn.

Children develop a love of books. They access these independently and enjoy turning the pages and looking at the pictures.

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

Leaders describe a strong curriculum intent for the children in the setting.

At times, during the first inspection visit, staff were unclear about what they wanted children to learn from some of the activities they had planned. During the second visit, staff were able to articulate how they used the planned activities and available resources to support individual children in achieving their next steps in learning. In the time that has elapsed between the two visits, there have been some changes to the staff team, with some staff being brought in from their sister nursery and others recruited.

Leaders are confident that the new staff have and will bring sustained improvement to reduce the variability in practice in the implementation of the curriculum.Staff support children's communication and language as they sing songs and action rhymes with children. There is a constant buzz of conversation in the setting as staff and children play together.

Staff enthusiastically share how some children have developed their vocabulary since coming into the nursery. While, at times, some staff use long and complex sentences with children, overall these do not detract from the learning. During activities, such as face painting, children are encouraged to explain how they would like their face to look and spend extended periods discussing how a tiger or cat might look.

This same activity is skilfully and successfully used to help other children learn about turn-taking.Staff are passionate about the setting and the children they care for. The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator has worked with staff, and they now work together to provide children with strong support overall.

There is a real focus on doing the right thing for the children in their care. For example, they work with families and advocate for children with other professionals to ensure that children's transitions to their next stage of education are effectively managed. Children who come into nursery with lower than average attainment are helped and supported to close the gaps in their learning.

Staff develop children's understanding of what is appropriate behaviour. For example, they remind them to use 'walking feet' when they run indoors. They offer children praise, such as 'good cutting', when attempting to cut their fruit at snack time.

Staff help children to use their 'kind hands' and 'kind words' as they play together making marks in the wet mud.Staff support children's good health. Children follow good daily hygiene routines and recognise when they need to wash their hands after digging for worms and insects in the garden.

Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills as they enjoy playing outside and spending time in the fresh air. For example, children enjoy playing on the trikes and climbing up the steps to come down the slide.Staff develop strong partnerships with parents.

They share information about their children's day as parents pick them up at the end of the session. Parents report that they find the online learning journal helpful and know who to contact if they need more information about their child's progress in the setting.Staff access different training opportunities and benefit from managers offering ongoing supervision and mentoring sessions.

Staff feel supported by management and enjoy working in the setting.Staff support children in doing things for themselves. Children enjoy the opportunity to help themselves to the snack food available.

They eagerly select fruit or pour out cereal into their bowls before they begin eating. Staff remind children to use cutlery to feed themselves to help them develop these skills. Once children are full, they tidy away their cups, bowls and plates.

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: continue to build a staff team of highly competent early years practitioners so that the curriculum intent and implementation are embedded securely and consistently and meet the needs of all children.