Merchant Square Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children build very close attachments with their key person. They are emotionally secure and demonstrate that they feel safe. Babies snuggle up to their key persons and enjoy the social interactions with them and other children.

This promotes personal, social and emotional development and helps to build a firm foundation for future learning. All children benefit from daily trips outdoors to help promote their physical development and sense of identity within their local community. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour during outings and they ensure children's safety is of the highest priority.

Children ...thoroughly enjoy learning about their local area. For instance, they watch water splash in a nearby fountain and excitedly feel the texture of sand in a large community sandpit. Although the indoor space is large, exciting and provides ample fresh air and room for physical exercise, it is not utilised as much as it could be.

Children's curiosity is ignited as they explore a wide range of real objects, such as pine cones, shells and pebbles. Children concentrate as they carefully place natural objects in different ways to create their own artwork which helps to develop their creativity. Staff promote children's engagement and excitement, although this is not consistent in all rooms.

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

During staff and supervision meetings, leaders' ambitious vision and values are shared among all staff. The newly appointed manager uses self-evaluation well, to consistently improve the quality of the nursery and positive outcomes for all children. On the whole, leaders routinely monitor staff performance, for example through peer-to-peer observations to help identify strengths and areas for improvement.

The manager and staff place high importance on their own professional development. Robust professional development plans highlight ongoing training. Staff regularly access training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.

Staff undertake rigorous recruitment and induction procedures to ensure they are suitable for their roles and responsibilities. Staff follow policies, which are reflected throughout the nursery. The manager and leaders act with integrity and place great emphasis on staff well-being.

Leaders respond in a professional and timely manner to written complaints.Children's health and well-being are supported well. They enjoy a wide variety of freshly prepared meals each day.

Fresh drinking water is always freely available to help keep children hydrated. Following the nursery's recent commitment to promote children's health and well-being, the nursery now provides a variety of child health information for parents. The manager recognises the importance of government guidelines on portion sizes at mealtime and distributes this information clearly to all staff.

Children benefit from many opportunities to develop their imaginative skills. For example, children engage in role play. They enthusiastically pretend to cook with a range of metal pots and pans, real fruit, vegetables and rice noodles.

Children keenly feed dolls pretend milk. This also helps children to make sense of their world and imitate their experiences from home. Children are enthusiastic and motivated learners.

Children's early communication, language and writing skills are progressing well. For example, staff provide many opportunities for very young children to grasp chunky chalks to make random marks. Children listen intently to stories and young children remember a range of nursery rhymes.

For example, they enthusiastically rock their arms and pretend to be 'Miss Polly'. Staff very successfully encourage children to recognise emotions and feelings. Very young children point to pictures and eagerly say 'happy'.

Parents speak highly of the nursery and staff. They say staff always greet them with a 'big smile'. Parents' views and comments are valued.

They are a vital part of children's learning and development at the nursery and at home. For instance, the manager organises parent workshops, and regular newsletters provide information on activities they can try, to extend children's learning at home.The nursery curriculum builds on what children already know and their current interests, this is implemented very successfully throughout the nursery.

Parents are an important part of the planning process. For example, they share information about their children's achievements from home, and what they need to learn next, to help all children make the best possible progress.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know how to identify signs of risks and harm to children, including indicators of extreme views. They are aware of the correct reporting procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child's welfare. Staff use risk assessments to identify safety issues effectively, both on the premises and prior to outings.

They practise evacuation procedures regularly to teach children what to do in an emergency, such as in the event of a fire. Staff access safeguarding and wider child protection training to develop their knowledge to a good level.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review and improve the organisation of the learning environment, to provide opportunities for children to freely access other areas, in particular the large, indoor open space raise the already good-quality teaching, learning and engagement consistently across all rooms, in particular the two- to three-year-old children's room.