Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery New Cross

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children flourish and feel safe and happy in this highly welcoming setting.

They are very settled and form extremely secure relationships with practitioners. Transitions within the nursery are seamless. Practitioners work closely with parents to ensure that children are ready and prepared for their next stage in learning.

Practitioners communicate well with each other. They share vital information about children and plan the best approach to settle individual children into new rooms. Practitioners place children's emotional well-being at the forefront of their plans.

Practitioners have high expectations... of children. They are passionate about each child reaching their full potential. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make rapid progress.

Practitioners know children extremely well. Children's individual needs are prioritised and, together with practitioner's knowledge and children's interests, they are used to guide and inform curriculum planning. As a result, activities are enjoyable and challenging for children, and supports their development.

All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, receive high levels of support in their communication and language skills. For instance, during activities, practitioners introduce new words and meanings to extend children's knowledge and vocabulary. Practitioners create personalised boxes with resources to support children to learn English, such as dual-language books and flash cards in both languages.

They use these to ensure that group times and activities are inclusive. Practitioners learn key words and phrases in children's home languages, and work with parents to ensure that they use the correct pronunciation.

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

Support for children with SEND is exceptional.

Leaders and practitioners are passionate about their roles and think carefully about how they meet each child's needs. They work closely with parents and external agencies to provide a highly consistent approach to children's learning and development. Children have truly motivated key persons, who skilfully implement their individual education plans to close any gaps in children's learning.

Children benefit from many exciting first-hand experiences that greatly enhance their learning and enjoyment. For example, they visit the local fire station and go to the shops to buy ingredients for cooking activities. Practitioners provide opportunities for children to develop a great understanding of healthy lifestyles.

Children enjoy healthy meals and snacks, and they develop physical and risk-taking skills in the outdoor area.Pre-school children independently explore a range of fruits. They safely and skilfully use knives to cut their chosen fruit ready to taste with their friends.

Practitioners offer support and give gentle safety reminders while allowing children to take the lead. Younger children make their own play dough. They explore the textures throughout the experience and make their own creations.

Children talk about the process of how they made their creations.Practitioners teach children school readiness effectively. They ensure that children are highly independent and help them to develop emotional resilience.

For example, children are encouraged to do things for themselves, such as wiping their own noses using the 'snuffle station', and serving their own food and water at mealtimes. Younger children are also supported to understand and cope with the changes when their older friends leave the nursery.Practitioners demonstrate high levels of respect and care towards children.

They listen to them and provide them with the appropriate support and answers. Practitioners have a considerate approach to care routines. For example, practitioners ask children before they wipe their nose or change their nappies, and they talk to them about what they are doing.

This helps children to feel valued, safe and secure.Leaders are passionate about practitioner's well-being and continuous professional development. They actively support and guide practitioners to build on their skills to provide outstanding levels of care.

Leaders recognise that practitioners are their biggest asset and speak very highly of them. Supervisions, team meetings and peer-on-peer observations take place regularly. This helps leaders to maintain high-quality practice within the setting and identify areas for improvement.

Partnerships with parents are a key strength in the nursery. Parents speak highly about it and say that it is a 'wonderful' and 'joyous' place for their children to attend. They feel fully involved in their children's learning due to excellent communication and close professional relationships with the team.

Parents are well supported by practitioners. They are involved in every decision made about their child.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders follow robust safer recruitment procedures to ensure that all practitioners are suitable to work with children. All practitioners have an excellent understanding of safeguarding. They are confident to follow procedures if they were to have concerns regarding the welfare of a child.

Regular safeguarding training and quizzes ensure that practitioners are well informed on a range safeguarding issues, such as radicalisation and female genital mutilation. All areas of the premises are safe, secure and clean. Risk assessments are completed daily to ensure the ongoing safety of the setting.

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