Little Clovers Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and safe at this warm and welcoming nursery. They demonstrate resilience during changes to routines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, children know what to do when they arrive, including where to put their belongings.

They greet staff with cuddles. Staff prioritise building nurturing relationships with children.Children show high levels of engagement and have good attitudes towards their learning and play.

For example, they are eager to help make their own play dough. Children take turns to stir the mixture and notice how it changes colour, saying that 'it has gone dark pink'. They learn how... to care for animals, such as stick insects, and are interested to find out how long it takes for the eggs to hatch.

Staff promote children's physical development well. Children develop their small-muscle skills as they squeeze pipettes to 'suck the water up'. They learn how to hold pens effectively and how to write their own names.

Children enjoy weekly dance lessons and were keen to show the inspector their dancing. They design and build their own obstacle courses, showing good coordination and balance as they walk along the wooden blocks.

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

Leaders are passionate about everything that they set out to achieve.

Their vision is to 'help children to be happy and to achieve in a fun learning environment'. Leaders use self-evaluation to reflect on ways to improve the nursery for the children. However, they do not fully consider and evaluate how they use additional funding, to have the most impact on children's outcomes.

Children access a curriculum which follows their interests and builds on what they already know and can do. For example, staff use children's interest in pirates to provide exciting learning opportunities. These include looking at treasure maps and building pirate ships using small construction blocks.

Children think of their own ideas while playing, for example when pretending to catch fish while on the 'pirate ship'.Staff promote children's communication and language skills well. They read stories and sing songs with children throughout the day.

Staff introduce children to new words to extend their vocabulary. For example, while reading a story, staff explain what the word 'celebrate' means. Children suggest that it is 'where you dance'.

They repeat words that they learn during their play, such as saying with delight that the water is 'freezing cold'.Leaders and staff describe working at the nursery as 'being part of a family'. Leaders support the well-being of staff very well.

Staff have time each week to complete tasks and spend time with leaders. However, the programme for the monitoring and professional development of staff does not always help them to further improve their practice. For example, staff are sometimes unsure of their own improvement targets.

Children's growing independence is a priority. For example, staff encourage children to put on their own coats and wash their own hands. Children tidy away their plates after eating and help to wipe the table after making play dough.

They learn about good hygiene practices while brushing their own teeth.Children behave well and show curiosity towards visitors. For example, they looked at the inspector while eating their lunch and smiled with happiness.

Even children who are less confident to speak still followed the inspector with interest. Children learn to share toys, including their own toys that they sometimes bring in to show to other children.Leaders establish links with external professionals and the schools that children move to.

Parents comment that their children settle well and that staff help them to progress in their learning. However, staff do not consistently involve parents in the progress check for children aged between two and three years old.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders use detailed risk assessments to ensure that the nursery premises are safe and secure. Thorough arrangements are in place for the recruitment of staff, to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Staff and leaders follow an agreed code of conduct.

Leaders ensure that staff have up-to-date safeguarding training. All staff hold paediatric first-aid certificates. They know how to help keep children protected from harm.

Staff know the steps to follow should they have concerns about children's welfare or the conduct of a colleague. They understand safeguarding issues, such as neglect and child sexual exploitation.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: refine the ways that leaders consider and evaluate how they use additional funding, to have the most impact on children's outcomes nenhance the programme for the monitoring and professional development of staff, to help them to further improve their practice strengthen partnership working with parents so that they are fully involved in the progress check for children aged between two and three years old.