Little Green Man Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are greeted by warm and welcoming staff as they arrive at this well-established nursery.

Staff have very close bonds with children. They talk affectionately with children about their interests and home lives. Staff sit closely as they support and challenge children as they play with them.

Children show familiarity with staff. They comfortably refer to them by their names. Children demonstrate their understanding of daily routines, such as they put their belongings away in their individual trays.

They are confident and show that they feel safe and secure. Staff prepare enticing activities that help to ...spark children's enthusiasm for learning. For example, children persist as they make various marks in black sand.

Younger children enjoy plenty of sensory and messy play. They learn to describe things by their texture, colour and scent. Leaders and staff plan a broad curriculum filled with creative opportunities for children.

For instance, children concentrate intensely during still-life pumpkin painting. They enjoy walks in nature to collect conkers, leaves and wood. Staff are good role models and consistently embed their expectations for children's behaviour.

Children learn to be kind and helpful. Older children tidy up meticulously. They enjoy having responsibility for small tasks.

Staff prepare children well for their next stages in their learning. This includes when children move rooms and are about to start at school.

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

Staff promote children's early mathematical skills exceptionally well.

For example, children learn to sort, match and compare different-sized objects. They learn to solve simple problems involving counting as they revisit stories during circle times.Staff provide good opportunities for children to learn outdoors.

Children build good physical stamina by climbing, travelling and balancing along play equipment. They learn to take and manage risk, such as they climb trees during trips to the park.The key-person system is well established in each room and staff know children very well.

This enables staff to offer and adapt activities that meet children's needs and help them progress in their learning. Nevertheless, not all staff working with younger children promote their developing independence, in particular their nose wiping and ability to dress themselves.Staff sing to and with children.

They appropriately encourage children's early language by offering a running commentary of children's actions. Staff name objects, pictures and toys for children as they look at books together. Most staff teach children to describe objects by their shape and colour.

However, not all staff demonstrate the knowledge required to maximise their interactions with children. Therefore, children's language is not consistently promoted to the highest level.Staff successfully help children to learn to take turns when waiting for resources.

Therefore, children learn to share and treat each other kindly. Children display positive attitudes towards eating healthily. They say, 'I love apples and bananas' at snack time.

Children have good appetites. They finish their warm meals of vegetarian curry and rice, for example.Parents are complimentary of the setting.

They describe staff as supportive and friendly. Parents know what their children are learning. Staff share advice and tips for children's home learning.

The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. The deputy manager, together with SEND leads in each room, work effectively with parents and other professionals. The manager ensures that children receive targeted support.

This helps children to make the best possible progress in their development.Staff say they feel very well supported by the manager. They comment that they feel 'happy and valued' by the manager, who is passionate about developing staff's practice.

The manager regularly reflects on the effectiveness of the nursery and implements strategies for improvement. She has already deployed the deputy manager in the baby room. The manager envisages this will further strengthen teaching and learning for the youngest children.

She makes sure that staff receive tailored supervision sessions and external training, to ensure that standards of teaching continue to improve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse.

They are confident in fulfilling their responsibilities, including reporting and escalating any concerns to the relevant outside agencies. The manager ensures that all staff receive regular training and updates about child protection and safeguarding issues. There are vetting and recruitment processes in place to ensure that all adults are suitable to work with children.

Staff teach children about how to stay safe and to manage small risks for themselves, such as using knives to cut fruit. Staff carry out appropriate risk assessments of the premises and environment to make sure that they are safe for children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: revisit support for staff working with younger children, so they all promote children's developing independence effectively nenhance staff's knowledge of how to maximise their interactions with children, so they consistently promote children's language to the highest level.