Mornington House Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children benefit from the welcoming and inclusive environment. Leaders and staff provide children and their families with the support that is needed to help them to feel safe and settled.

Parents and children develop good relationships with their key persons. Leaders and staff work closely with the families attending the nursery to provide a home-from-home experience for children. Leaders keenly implement their ethos to provide a 'small, homely and flexible environment', where they focus on supporting children to feel emotionally secure.

Leaders and staff involve children and their families in promoting sustainability ...through local initiatives. Children, their parents and staff all work together to collect items to recycle, such as plastic pens and make-up brushes. Children go on walks to deliver the items to the recycling points in the local community.

This helps children to learn to care for world around them. Staff have high expectations for all children to make good progress in their learning. Staff challenge children through exciting activities and games.

Staff act as positive role models; they support children to learn to manage their feelings and behaviour appropriately. Children listen and follow routines well. They play well with their friends and learn to take turns and share.

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

Leaders and staff value and celebrate the diverse backgrounds of the children and their families who attend the nursery. Parents are actively encouraged to visit the nursery to share their cultures and to read stories in their home languages. This helps children to learn about diversity and the use of different languages.

Staff know the children well. They use good methods to observe and assess children's progress. Staff provide children with interesting activities.

Staff are still developing their understanding of the new planning systems, to ensure that plans are highly targeted to help children to make the best possible progress.Leaders and staff use good methods to support children's early literacy skills. They use children's interests well.

Staff focus on encouraging children to be absorbed in books and stories. Older children enjoy using props to act out their favourite story, developing their vocabulary and using their imaginations. The youngest visit the zoo to meet real animals after particularly enjoying a book about zoo animals.

Leaders support staff well, through the use of observations, supervisions and team meetings. Staff have a detailed induction process to ensure that they have a good understanding of the policies and procedures. Staff are keen to take part in training to develop their skills further and this is encouraged by the leaders.

Staff recognise and act on children's need to be physical. Children benefit from fresh air and space to develop their physical skills, and they enjoy being outside. Older children work together to create a ball run using the drainpipes.

They wear their waterproofs so they can continue to play in the rain. Younger children enjoy using the different equipment to climb and develop their balance and coordination.Children learn how to keep themselves safe when using tools and equipment.

Staff supervise children and talk to them about safety as they use clamps, hammers and nails. Children confidently use the tools and concentrate as they learn how the hammer can be turned around to pull the nails out.Overall, staff support children's language development well.

They provide children with lots of opportunities to hear new words to extend their vocabulary. They model language and support children with developing how they use language. However, staff do not consistently recognise how they can support the children who have limited speech to communicate their needs, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders and staff promote good healthy lifestyles. Children have healthy meals and snacks. Staff eat alongside children to encourage good table manners.

Children learn about where food comes from, for example they help grow vegetables that they can then eat.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders implement robust procedures to employ staff who are safe and suitable.

Leaders and staff have secure procedures in place to keep children safe. They understand the procedure that they should follow to report any concerns they may have about a child's welfare. Staff know the signs that may alert them that a child is at risk.

Leaders ensure that staff take part in regular training and they regularly check staff knowledge of safeguarding and child protection matters. Leaders and staff are aware of the need to work with other professionals to monitor children's well-being.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide staff the support needed to gain a greater understanding of how to use the new systems for planning, using the information that they gain from assessments nensure that staff are consistent in supporting children to communicate their needs and interests, with particular regard to the children with SEND.