Little Green Rascals - 7 Minster Yard

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and busy throughout the day. They grow in confidence through well-planned and motivating activities, indoors and out.

For example, they use a hammer and nails to make wooden hedgehogs. Staff get to know children and families well. They are quick to identify and address any possible gaps in learning.

For example, due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, they have focused more on children's emotional well-being. This helps children form secure attachments to staff. Babies and older children feel safe and secure and approach staff for cuddles and reassurance when needed.

Staff encourage fami...lies to share photographs from home and these are transferred into family photo books. Babies enjoy looking through this with staff, who talk to them about who each person is. When babies recognise familiar family members, they excitedly point them out.

Children feel proud when staff give them consistent and specific praise for their efforts and achievements. They learn what behaviour is expected of them and are eager to cooperate.Overall, staff have high expectations of what each child is capable of.

They find out about children's backgrounds and previous experiences when they start nursery. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those children who speak English as an additional language, make good progress. They are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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

The management team prioritises staff mental health and well-being. They provide ample opportunities for them to not only continue their professional development but to discuss work, life and themselves. Staff comment on good levels of support and job satisfaction.

The management team frequently arrange activities to promote staff well-being. For instance, staff participate in mindfulness training and exercises.Parents speak highly of the support they receive and the positive impact it has on their family.

They comment how the manager and staff 'go above and beyond' to ensure children achieve. The views of parents, children and staff are used to evaluate the provision and make improvements. Parents provide their views using online systems and questionnaires.

Older children's views are gained through council meetings.Staff make regular observations and assessments of children's individual learning. They work hard to make sure that planned activities are carefully matched to children's interests and learning needs.

They organise the learning environment well to enable children to access toys and resources independently. However, on occasions, the enthusiastic staff overly direct children's self-chosen play, so children are not able to fully develop their thinking skills and own ideas during these times.Children benefit from an exciting range of experiences outdoors.

For example, they delight in 'forest school' sessions. They learn about safety and risks as they cook marshmallows on campfires. Children are very physically active and get plenty of exercise.

They show good physical development and control as they eat using cutlery, complete jigsaw puzzles and play football.Staff support children who receive additional funding well and use the early years pupil premium money thoughtfully. For example, they buy resources to support children's interests.

Staff are good role models for speaking. They make eye contact and speak to children face to face. Staff use their knowledge of using signing to support children's communication development.

Children have frequent opportunities to listen to stories and sing a range of songs. However, staff, sometimes, ask too many questions. They do not give the children time to answer before moving on to ask another question.

This does not provide the best opportunities for children to understand or practice their own speaking.Children are prepared well for starting school. Staff thoughtfully use photographs of local school buildings and uniforms to help children to talk about starting school.

They work very closely with the schools that children eventually move on to. They share information about children's development and the next steps in children's learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff have a good understanding of the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child's welfare. They have a secure knowledge of the possible signs to be aware of that could indicate a child is at risk of harm. The manager regularly test staff's safeguarding knowledge, such as through discussions and quizzes.

She implements robust recruitment and a two-day induction process to ensure that staff understand their roles and are suitable to work with children. Staff use daily safety checks indoors and outside to provide children with a safe environment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenable children to explore and investigate resources in their own way, to enable them to develop their own ideas develop staff's understanding of how to use questions with children, in order to increase their thinking and language skills.