Millies House Nursery And Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children demonstrate that they are happy at this warm, safe and welcoming nursery. They confidently leave their parents at the door and quickly settle into the nursery routine.

The well-organised environment promotes children's natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. Children are motivated and eager to join in. For example, older children show a keen interest in investigating why some objects float and some sink when placed in water.

They take it in turns to select the object and predict what might happen before finding out. Children develop good communication skills and confidently articulate what they know. They pl...ay imaginatively, acting out their favourite stories in the garden.

They move in different ways and take it in turns to tell their favourite parts. Children behave well. Staff skilfully support children to understand boundaries and develop an awareness of and respect for their peers.

Children are kind and friendly and take time to listen to each other. Children enjoy their time spent outdoors. They are fascinated about the world around them and spend time looking at the different wildlife that comes into the garden.

Children enjoy using the age-appropriate apparatus. They show good physical skills as they climb up stepping stones and balance along a beam.

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

The manager and staff are committed to the continual improvement of the nursery provision.

They regularly reflect on what they do well and identify areas where they can be even more effective. For example, staff have recently introduced a new approach to how they teach children alongside their curriculum.The manager and staff have a good understanding of their curriculum and what they want children to learn.

Staff know their key children well and plan activities based on their interests and abilities. Staff evaluate the impact of activities on children's progress, and this is closely monitored by the manager. All children make good progress from their starting points in learning.

All children demonstrate high levels of independence. Younger children move around their rooms and explore the wide range of resources accessible to them. Older children confidently dress themselves before going outside and serve themselves at mealtimes.

They learn new skills and try things for themselves, such as buttering their own crackers at snack time and managing their own self-care routines.Staff support children to develop good health and well-being. They provide healthy and nutritious meals for children and opportunities for regular exercise.

Older children enjoy attending their baking club with the nursery chef. They learn about different food and how it is prepared. Children confidently share this information with their peers.

Staff attend courses to strengthen their skills. For example, staff have recently completed a course about working with babies. They feel that this has developed their understanding of what young babies need and what they can do to best support them.

The manager places a high priority on staff's well-being. Staff are happy and feel well supported in their roles. They have regular staff meetings and opportunities to share their views and opinions.

Overall, children are well prepared for their next stage of learning. Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and they support their learning well. They make good use of small-group activities to support children's listening and turn-taking skills.

Children are encouraged to engage in conversations and develop their imaginations as they share their ideas. Staff ask questions to support and extend children's learning. However, this is not consistent across all areas of the nursery.

The manager and staff team have adapted well to the challenges faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They ensured that all children were supported and continued to make good progress when they were unable to attend the nursery. Staff continue to have effective relationships with parents and use a variety of methods to share information about their child's day.

However, staff do not share information with all parents about how they can further support their children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff understand their responsibilities to keep children safe.

All staff have completed safeguarding training. They give a high priority to children's safety and protection. Staff understand and recognise signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of neglect or abuse.

They also have a good understanding of broader safeguarding issues. The manager has a safe recruitment procedure in place. She checks the suitability of new staff and the ongoing suitability of existing staff.

The nursery is safe and secure. Staff carry out regular checks of all areas to keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the use of questioning to help identify what children already know and provide clear explanations to extend their knowledge even further develop further the exchange of information with parents about how they can appropriately support their child's learning at home.