Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Battersea

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff provide a warm, welcoming and home-from-home environment, where children feel safe and secure.

Children eagerly come into the nursery and quickly engage in play with their friends. They are motivated to learn and confidently explore the activities on offer. Staff get to know children well.

Their positive interactions enhance children's knowledge and skills as they play. For example, older children learn about feelings as they use dough to make their own faces to represent how they feel. Babies are settled and confident.

They delight in using large blocks to build with and staff introduce early mathematic...al concepts. Babies giggle with staff as they knock them down. All children also enjoy the extra-curricular activities on offer, including music, dance and yoga to support their physical development.

Staff have high expectations of all children. They talk to children in a calm manner and support their social and emotional needs effectively. Children learn to share resources fairly and take turns.

They are kind and considerate towards each other and behave well. Children make good progress with their literacy skills. Older children are encouraged to write their own names on their work and confidently use one handed tools to cut shapes of paper.

Younger children enjoy handling books and listening to stories.

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

The manager is committed to providing the best possible care and education for all children. She leads a well-qualified team, who shares her vision.

The manager is dedicated about continuous improvement and has a clear understanding of the nursery's strengths and areas for development. She takes into account the views of staff, parents and children when making changes to improve the outcomes for children. For example, staff have recently developed their communication with parents and have invested in sensory resources to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Staff observe children closely to find out what they know and can do. They plan activities to follow children's interests and support the next phase in their development. Parents receive detailed information about their children's progress.

They have daily discussions with staff and have access to an online assessment system. This helps to keep parents up to date and involved in their children's learning.Children's language is developing well.

Staff repeat new words clearly with younger children, and encourage them to join in with songs and rhymes. Older children enjoy learning new words to develop their vocabulary and, where appropriate, staff use visual cues and pictorial representations. However, managers recognise that staff would benefit from further support in how to extend children's learning further.

Staff establish strong links with relevant agencies to help to ensure that children receive the specialist support they need to help them improve. They also work well with providers when the time comes for children to move on to ensure that there is consistency in their learning and care.The manager and staff have developed an ambitious curriculum for children.

They gather useful information when children start and then use this to sequence their learning. Staff know children well and confidently talk about what they can do, what they want children to learn, how they will do this and why. Staff closely monitor children's progress to ensure that there are no gaps in children's learning.

As a result, all children make good progress.Staff work well as a team. They have regular meetings to evaluate their practice and reflect on the experiences they provide for children.

Staff make good use of training, supervision meetings and peer observations to develop their knowledge and experience, which helps to improve practice and outcomes for children. Staff feel valued and celebrated in their roles and, as a result, say that they are proud to work at the nursery.Staff support children to learn about healthy lifestyles.

Children benefit from freshly prepared meals, which are nutritious. They have ample opportunities to increase their physical skills and to be outdoors in the fresh air. Staff are also introducing activities to support children's understanding of oral health.

Occasionally, transition times during the day are not organised effectively. This results in children sometimes being left waiting too long and becoming unsettled.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff have completed safeguarding training and have a good understanding of how to keep children safe. They have good knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse and a range of safeguarding issues. Staff know the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child in their care, as well as the whistle-blowing procedure.

The manager has robust recruitment and induction procedures in place. She completes rigorous checks to ensure that only those suitable to work with children do so.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to develop their teaching skills so that they maximise opportunities for children to think critically and extend their learning review the planning of daily routines to reduce the amount of time that children have to wait without being occupied.