Magic Roundabout Nurseries Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children settle well in the welcoming environment that staff create. Children build strong attachments with staff and this helps them to feel happy, safe and secure.

They are confident to approach staff when they feel upset or unsettled and they receive the support and care that they need. Staff use language related to feelings to help children begin to understand their emotions. In particular, the children in the pre-school room benefit very well from these discussions.

For example, children confidently tell each other how their actions have made them feel.Staff are good role models for children's behaviour. They clea...rly demonstrate the rules and boundaries of the room and offer gentle reminders to children.

As a result, children behave well because expectations for their behaviour are clear.There are high expectations about what children can learn in the setting. Staff understand children's existing skills and abilities and recognise how to extend these further.

In the pre-school room, staff listen to children as they talk to each other about what they have built in the construction area. Staff use this information to ask questions such as, 'I don't think I know what that is, can you tell me about it?' This encourages children to share their thinking and ideas.

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

The setting offers an ambitious curriculum, tailored to individual children's needs.

The manager and staff have a strong focus on allowing all children to be independent in their learning and to make decisions about their play for themselves. Staff join in children's play at appropriate times to extend and challenge their thinking.Circle time activities support children's language development well.

They provide opportunities for staff to teach new words, such as 'soft' and 'sponge', to babies. However, there are times where there are too many children in the group activity. This means that some children are less focused on the activity because they are distracted by the larger group size.

All children make good progress from when they start at the setting, including those who receive additional funding or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The special educational needs coordinator for the setting works very closely with a wide range of external agencies to ensure the needs of children with SEND are met. In addition, she leads activity sessions daily in all rooms to further support staff's understanding of how to support children's additional needs.

Children have a wide range of opportunities to develop their independence and self-care skills. At mealtimes, older children serve themselves their food and pour their own drinks. Younger children are encouraged to try and feed themselves.

Additionally, staff teach children how to put their coats on and wash their hands themselves.Children are beginning to develop an understanding of healthy eating through the provision of healthy snacks and lunches. Staff talk with children about the types of food that are good for them.

Parents are given ideas to expand their children's diet with examples of foods that the children enjoy as they eat with their peers at the sociable lunchtimes. There is a healthy eating policy in place which parents can be referred to if necessary.There are appropriate transition procedures to ensure children enjoy smooth transitions to new group rooms and eventually to school.

Information is shared about the children's individual needs, learning and development with staff in the new group room and, where possible, staff move with children.Leaders and managers support staff in their practice well. There are ample opportunities for professional development that support staff's teaching skills.

Staff feel that they receive high levels of support for their well-being. Supervision arrangements are used effectively to identify and support staff's needs.Parents speak very highly of the setting.

They have access to their children's online records and have the opportunity to make written contributions about their children's learning in the setting and at home if they choose to. Parents say that they are informed about children's achievements and progress regularly.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff have a clear understanding of how to keep children safe. They understand how to recognise if children are experiencing, or at risk of, harm or abuse. This includes safeguarding issues related to local gang crime, female genital mutilation and the 'Prevent' duty.

Staff know how and when to report their concerns in order to keep children safe. Recruitment arrangements ensure that only adults who are suitable to work with children are employed at the setting.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consider the use of smaller groups at circle times to further support younger children in being more engaged in the activity.