Little Bears Childrens Day Nursery Limited Chapel House

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and confident at this nursery. They have positive relationships with staff and their peers.

Children have adapted well to the changes made due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are happy to separate from their parents when greeted by staff. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff remained in regular contact with children and their families.

Staff know children well and plan activities for them which link to their interests and next steps in learning. Children enjoy exploring and are independent. They make choices about what they would like to play with.

Young children explore sensory play, such as ...coloured pasta and rice, showing sustained levels of concentration as they fill containers and pour from them. Staff encourage children to be creative. Older children show good hand-to-eye coordination when they use pens and scissors to make a fish.

Children recall a story about a rainbow fish. They remember the colours of the fish and the key points of the story, as they make their own fish.Most children benefit from lots of opportunities to access a purpose-built outdoor area.

This provides them with a range of opportunities to support their physical development. Babies and younger children have opportunities to have tummy time, crawl and walk indoors. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well in this inclusive setting.

Leaders and staff are aware of children's individual needs. They make necessary adaptations to the environment, such as adding a ramp to go outdoors and creating a sensory area for children to explore.

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

Leaders are passionate about the nursery.

They share their vision of the nursery with staff and parents. Leaders are reflective on their practice and look forward to areas of improvement.Staff have opportunities to access training and extend their learning and professional development.

Leaders place a high value on staff's well-being, and regularly check that staff feel valued and well supported. Staff work well as a team and speak respectfully about each other.The special educational needs coordinator has an excellent knowledge of children, and gives good support to staff to provide plans for children.

Staff use funding effectively to meet children's individual needs. For example, they offer children with SEND one-to-one support in their play and the use of a sensory room. Staff works closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children with SEND are exceptionally well supported.

Staff support children to recognise their emotions and feelings. Children talk about what makes them happy and sad. They can identify different emotions from faces in a picture book, and use a 'feelings jar' to help explain how they are feeling.

Children generally behave well. Older children follow instructions to get their coats and wait in a line before going down the stairs to the outdoor area. Staff remind children not to run inside and offer support to children at mealtimes.

Children have opportunities to extend their mathematical skills. For example, children explore shapes and match them to shapes which they can see on the paper. They accurately label 2D and 3D shapes.

Staff encourage children to talk about and describe the shapes they can see, introducing mathematical language.Partnership with parents is a strength in the nursery. Parents are highly complimentary about the care and education which their children receive.

They feel informed about their child's day at nursery and their learning. Staff share ideas for children's learning at home. They exchange information using online software and daily verbal feedback.

Parents speak about the support they receive from the nursery, for example how staff feel like their extended family.Children learn about cultures and celebrations. For example, children make decorations for The Queen's Platinum Jubilee and display these in the nursery.

Parents are invited into the nursery for a garden party to celebrate with children and staff.Older children spend time in the well-resourced outdoor area, which is safe and suitable. This provides them with many opportunities to be active and develop their physical skills.

For example, children climb on to the castle and follow patterns on the ground on their tiptoes, developing their coordination and balance. However, staff provide limited opportunities for babies and younger children to access the outdoor environment to challenge their physical skills further.Overall, staff support children's language development well.

However, they do not always model correct grammar or use the correct level of vocabulary for children to understand during their play. Staff occasionally ask too many questions in quick succession, so children are not able to think about their answer.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities to keep children safe. They complete regular training so that their knowledge remains up to date. The premises are safe and secure.

Staff complete daily checks to ensure that the environment is safe for children to play. Staff find out about children's dietary requirements during induction visits. This helps the cook and staff to offer food to meet their individual needs.

Leaders have thorough procedures and checks in place for the recruitment and induction process for new staff. This means that those staff working with children are suitable to do so.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support children's communication and language further by giving children more time to answer questions, and model language effectively so that all children can use the correct words when communicating provide babies and younger children with more opportunities to benefit from the outdoor area, and to extend and challenge their physical development.