Moon River Nursery And Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thrive in this warm, welcoming and nurturing nursery.

Children are happy and eager to start the day with their friends. Every child has a home visit before they start and when they move rooms. This provides staff with the opportunity to find out as much as possible about each child's individual needs, which helps children settle easily and quickly.

Staff know the children very well and have high expectations of what they can achieve. Children access a range of natural resources, both inside and outside, to help them gain an understanding of the world around them. For example, children learn about how vegetable...s grow in the garden.

They know that seeds need water and sunlight to help them flourish. Outdoor shoes are not worn in the nursery by children or adults. The building is clean and children can walk comfortably.

The children know where their shoes are kept and confidently put them on when going outside. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They share and take turns and are very kind to each other.

The premises are secure and there are effective systems to make sure that children are only collected by known adults. Parents are extremely complimentary about the wonderful care provided by dedicated staff.

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

Babies have secure attachments with their special person who cares for them.

Babies go to them if they need reassurance or want a cuddle. Staff make sure that home routines are followed in the nursery. Babies sleep in either a coracle or a cot and are checked on regularly.

Staff encourage children throughout the nursery to be as independent as possible. Pre-school children put on coats and shoes when they go outside and attend to their personal care needs. The toddlers and pre-school children serve themselves food at lunchtime and clear their plates.

Staff implement effective risk assessments and ensure children's safety. All parents operate a fob key system to gain entry to the nursery. Staff are deployed well so that children are always appropriately supervised.

Children are encouraged to take some risks in their play when they create a course of balancing beams outside. They learn about what is physically possible and problem solve to make the beams higher or lower.The nursery adopts a nut-free policy, which promotes children's good health.

Children benefit from nutritious and healthy meals provided by the cook. Any dietary needs are catered for very well and staff know what children can and cannot eat. Children are encouraged to drink water regularly to stay hydrated.

The quality of education is good. Staff follow children's interests and support them very well in their play to help them make good progress. Staff also work closely with outside agencies and value parental expertise to teach children about the wider world.

Pre-school children thoroughly enjoyed a visit from the police where they re-created a crime scene about Goldilocks. Children learn about their wider community. They collect food during harvest festival and donate to the food bank, learning that some people are not as fortunate as themselves.

Staff use Makaton confidently and they skilfully teach children how to communicate using sign language. Toddlers take part in the welcome circle time. They enjoy a story and are encouraged to talk about how they feel.

However, on occasions, staff do not pitch circle-time activities in the toddler room at the right level and some children lose interest, become restless and struggle to sit still.Children have good opportunities to be physically active. They can ride bikes, run, hop, skip and jump.

They climb and enjoy parachute games. Children explore the mud, sand and water play. They use tools to help them develop their hand muscles.

Staff nurture children's language and communication skills very well. They teach children nursery rhymes, sing songs and make up stories, which expands children's imaginations. They also use opportunities to enhance children's understanding of counting and numbers.

Children squeal with delight when they put the numbers one to 10 in the correct order. Staff provide lots of praise and encouragement, which boosts children's self-esteem.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff know the action to take if they have a concern about a child's welfare. All staff attend training in child protection to keep their knowledge up to date. This includes knowledge of the 'Prevent' duty and what to do if a non-mobile baby has an injury.

Most staff hold a current first-aid certificate. Recruitment procedures are robust and there are good systems to make sure that staff are suitable to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the organisation of small-group time so that activities are pitched at the right level for children, to help them stay focused and engaged in their learning.