Mother Goose

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and develop well in the inclusive environment. They know the routines and settle to play with their friends with confidence. Children have good relationships with the staff and together they enjoy play that is linked to their individual needs.

For example, the children enjoy pretend play in the home area. Staff listen and interact well with the children, supporting their developing vocabulary by repeating words and identifying different types of food. The manager and her enthusiastic team are committed to their roles and responsibilities.

They have developed a curriculum based on children's interests... and what they need to learn next. Staff use the information they gather through observations of children to provide meaningful experiences, to help to extend their learning further. For example, when learning about road safety, the local lollipop man came to talk to the children.

Following his visit, the staff took the children to cross a road with him.Children have many opportunities to work in groups, independently and with those of different ages. This contributes to good attitudes to learning, tolerance and understanding of others.

However, at times, this mixed-age room can mean older children are not fully challenged in their learning or given opportunities to take risks.

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

Children have many opportunities to learn about the world around them and to enjoy fresh air and exercise outdoors. For instance, staff take children out in the community to visit the local park or to run errands, such as posting letters.

To extend their learning and provide real-life experiences, staff plan for children to visit local temples and have regular visits from people in their community, such as a dentist and a policeman, and the manager's dog.The partnership with parents is extremely strong. Parents welcome the regular communication they receive through newsletters, discussions and messages.

Staff support parents with children's development, such as assisting with establishing effective routines for potty training, or supporting healthy eating through sharing recipes. Parents comment on how staff support children to move confidently on to school when they leave.Staff are positive role models.

They are kind and caring and form strong attachments with the children in their care. During activities, staff get down to the children's level and actively engage with them. For example, staff encourage children to explore rolling cars down a pipe, talking about taking turns and watching what happens.

However, staff can overlook opportunities to explore more challenging activities and develop mathematical language, such as using positional language to find hidden objects in the sand.The manager observes staff regularly and gives them feedback on their performance. Staff have a wealth of knowledge between them and they are supported to attend new training courses.

Recently, staff undertook sign language training in order to support children who speak English as an additional language. These children are now more confident when communicating with each other and staff, while developing their spoken English skills.Children enjoy eating their lunch, as it is a lively, sociable time.

They join in with conversations and learn about healthy lifestyles. Children have good manners and are kind and considerate to everyone. They learn to peel their own fruit and enjoy the responsibility of being the daily helper.

All children are making good and steady progress from their individual starting points. Children receive focused learning time both individually and in groups. This ensures staff can focus on the specific needs of the children.

However, at times, these sessions do not fully challenge the older children by extending their thinking and development of language.The manager has a good vision for the nursery and offers an inclusive environment for all the children. She takes the happiness and well-being of her staff members very seriously.

The manager is supported effectively by the operations manager, who regularly visits the nursery and offers guidance and advice. The manager is very reflective about the provision and is constantly seeking ways to improve. She obtains other people's opinions through parent questionnaires and staff input.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a thorough knowledge of child protection procedures. This includes identifying signs that children are at risk of influence from extremist attitudes.

All staff know how to record and report any child protection concerns. The manager holds regular safeguarding meetings to update staff knowledge through quizzes and spot checks. Managers responsible for safeguarding children are knowledgeable about safeguarding legislation and child protection issues.

There are robust procedures to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Staff complete regular checks on the environment to identify and eliminate any risks.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen opportunities during play to further develop children's mathematical skills and language nencourage children to take risks with their learning and explore more challenging actvities.