Mama Bear’s Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children benefit greatly from the safe and secure environment, where they happily play and learn with their friends. Children have a good sense of belonging and are developing their independence skills.

When entering the nursery, they are encouraged to find their named photo and place it on their peg to store their belongings. Children enjoy the responsibility of small tasks, such as giving out cups and cutlery at lunchtime. They receive regular praise, which helps to build their self-esteem.

Staff plan a broad and varied curriculum, which entices children to learn and develop new skills. Younger children thoroughly en...joy song and story times and participate enthusiastically. They are encouraged to make decisions about the actions and sounds the passengers make on the bus.

Staff use visual aids to ensure that all children are involved in their learning, including those who are learning English as an additional language. Children listen carefully and follow instructions well. For instance, they stop hopping like bunnies when the song has finished.

The curriculum strongly supports children's language development. Older children confidently share their favourite books with the inspector. They communicate clearly as they retell the story, discuss the characters and repeat the rhyming sentences.

Children behave well and are supported effectively to begin to understand expectations and boundaries. Staff support children well to identify how they feel and what could help them to feel better. They constantly praise children for showing respect.

For example, children wait to continue their journey to 'space', in order to give children time to calm themselves when they become upset.

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

The curriculum is well planned and focuses on children's individual learning. Staff gather essential information from parents and other professionals.

Staff make regular observations, review children's attainment and identify what children need to do next. They actively encourage children's exploration by using 'I wonder' themes and providing a range of resources for children to explore independently. Additional funding is used productively to provide a curriculum that is tailored to meet children's individual needs.

For example, staff use story sacks with puppets successfully to build children's confidence to speak in small groups.The environment is organised effectively to entice learning. Staff have carefully considered children's emotional well-being as they have settled back into nursery life after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

This is particularly evident in the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The environment and daily routines have been successfully adapted to ensure that children's individual needs are met effectively.Staff provide a language-rich environment to support all children's communication and language skills.

Staff implement their training well. For example, they have developed a calming area in the conservatory, which encourages children to share books, engage in conversations and observe nature away from noisier areas of the nursery.Older children are motivated to learn and show interest in the world around them.

They show good imagination as they decide to build a 'submarine' with the crates and travel to 'space'. They listen well to instructions, finding different objects from around the outdoor play space. They relish their time outside and notice how the strong wind affects their movements.

However, those children who decide to move away from the focused activity to different experiences are not as well supported to develop their imagination.Children form strong bonds with their key person. With their key person close by, they confidently engage the inspector in their play.

For example, younger children invite the inspector to build with the plastic blocks, taking turns to add blocks and naming the colours. However, when other children interrupt and push the blocks onto the floor, staff do not always manage the behaviour as well as possible to enable learning to continue. Less-experienced staff are beginning to be supported to build their skills to manage behaviour, for example by accessing training and shadowing experienced staff.

Parents comment favourably about the passionate staff who keep their children safe. They talk positively about the procedures that were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as waiting outside the nursery to collect the children. They value the effective verbal and electronic communication they receive about their child's day and their achievements.

The respected team of managers are good role models who support staff development effectively. They are knowledgeable and understand how to raise the quality of teaching. They have a good overview of what is going well in the nursery and what needs to improve.

There are good opportunities for staff to improve their skills and share good practice. Recently, there has been a strong focus on developing the key-person role, where all staff have contributed their thoughts and now have a better understanding of how to help children develop emotional security.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong focus on children's safety and welfare. The premises are secure with individual keypad entry systems to each play space. There are effective arrangements for the safe collection of children by known and authorised adults.

Leaders, managers and staff have good knowledge of how to protect children from harm. They regularly attend training and review practice to safeguard children. Policies and procedures are well understood and successfully implemented.

Staff know the possible indicators of abuse and understand the procedures to report concerns immediately to protect children. There are effective recruitment and induction procedures to ensure that staff are suitable for their role.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop further the organisation of group activities to ensure that all children receive the same positive support from staff continue to support less-experienced staff to develop effective strategies to manage younger children's understanding of behavioural expectations.