Livesey Children’s Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

All children are happy and settled. The well-qualified and experienced staff support children's emotional well-being very well.

Nurturing staff plan for the moves that children make from home, between rooms and on to school. For example, children visit the nursery regularly with their parents before they start. This enables the sharing of important information.

Staff organise for older children to visit their chosen schools. This helps to prepare them for the next stage in their learning. Staff are to embed the new systems for sharing information with parents about their child's progress.

Children are eager to... investigate and explore in the warm and welcoming environment. Staff make good use of adult-led activities to help support children to learn new skills. For example, older children learn to listen to each other during a group song time.

Younger children learn about the daily routine while reading a familiar story. Staff understand the importance of teaching children how to manage their feelings. Skilful staff help children learn how to share.

For instance, they encourage children to take turns when using a telephone in the home corner. Staff are positive role models to the children in their care. They treat children with respect and listen to their views.

For example, children make their own choices at snack time as they chat eagerly with staff and each other. Children's behaviour is good.

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

Leaders have high expectations and strive to improve the quality of the nursery.

The leadership team and newly appointed manager support staff well. They provide regular supervision meetings with staff and focus on children's care needs and the progress of individual children. Leaders provide regular training and development days, giving staff the opportunity to share ideas.

However, plans to improve the performance management systems using shared skills and knowledge are not fully established.Staff know children well. They celebrate children's individual achievements.

For instance, staff jump for joy when a child puts on his coat independently for the first time. Staff meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities extremely well. They work closely with other professionals to support children further.

For example, they use speech and language strategies to enhance children's learning. Staff also invite parents to learn how to further support their children at home by attending groups.Partnerships with parents are good.

For example, leaders invite parents to share their views and suggestions at coffee mornings. They work together to plan improvements that benefit children. This has led to the improvement of the role- play resources within the nursery.

For example, older children enjoy caring for dolls using a doctor set. Younger children use toy animals to bring a story to life. Staff encourage parents to extend learning at home.

For example, staff invite parents to go on a nature walk with their children, to look for signs of autumn. Parents comment positively about the care that their children receive. They appreciate the kind, caring staff that go 'above and beyond'.

Parents receive daily verbal feedback about their child's experiences at nursery. Leaders have recently introduced a new system to share information about children's progress. However, this is not fully embedded.

This hinders some parents from accessing information about their child's progress as easily as others.Staff support children to develop their communication skills well. They sing action songs and read stories to introduce new words.

Staff comment on what children are doing to strengthen their understanding. For example, children learn about big and small while splashing excitedly in the water. Staff make effective use of visual signs when communicating with children.

This helps children to learn about nursery routines and what is happening throughout the day.Staff observe children at play often. They use this information to assess their learning and plan exciting activities.

Staff skilfully build on what interests children. For example, they plan a bug hunt after children find spiders in the garden. This helps to extend children's understanding of the natural world.

Staff understand the importance of promoting children's physical development. Children play outside daily for fresh air and exercise. They squeal with delight as they jump in the air to catch large bubbles.

Older children use scissors to cut up dough. This helps to develop their hand muscles.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff demonstrate a very good awareness of safeguarding and wider child protection issues. All staff have completed relevant training to ensure that they are aware of the possible signs of children being exposed to abuse and neglect. Staff work with a range of other professionals to support families and meet children's individual needs.

Policies and procedures are extremely robust and evident in practice. For example, robust recruitment and selection procedures ensure that adults working with the 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: continue to embed the already good teaching and leadership strategies to enhance the performance management of all staff strengthen the ways that staff communicate with parents about their children's progress, to further promote involvement in their learning.