Northlands Park Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children become involved in a wide range of activities. Babies have lots of fun exploring different ways their bodies can move. They are excited to dance to music from different cultures.

Staff join in enthusiastically and encourage children to try new movements. Babies laugh as they wiggle and clap rhythmically. Older children also enjoy taking part in activities that challenge them physically.

The nursery welcomes a coach who leads children in active exercise sessions. Staff talk about the benefits of stretching and warming up first. Children eagerly show how they can touch their toes and do star jumps.

They... listen to the instructor attentively and carefully follow instructions. This helps children begin to develop important skills in readiness for moving on to school. Staff effectively build on children's language and communication skills.

Babies name familiar objects in books. Staff read animatedly and ask the youngest children about the noises animals make. This helps support children's ongoing language development.

Staff introduce new words as they speak to older children, to extend their existing vocabulary. For example, they describe the rolling pin as 'knobbly', and explain that magnets 'attract' when they stick together. Staff throughout the nursery use basic sign language so all children can communicate, make choices and understand what is happening next.

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

The dedicated manager strives to achieve the best outcomes for all children. However, due to staffing shortages, staff are not always deployed as effectively as possible. At times, children do not fully benefit from strong interactions from staff.

Despite work pressures, staff are happy in their roles and work well together as a team. They have varied professional development opportunities to extend their knowledge.There is a clear curriculum threaded through the nursery.

The key persons gather information from parents when children first start. They find out information about any missing knowledge and decide how to support children to learn and develop more. However, staff in the baby room are less clear about how youngest children learn best.

They sometimes focus on planning overly complex activities that are not age-appropriate and limit children's opportunities to explore and experiment.The manager assesses the impact of teaching through her observations of practice. She identifies where children may need extra support to close any gaps in their development.

The manager, who is also the special educational needs coordinator, works with staff and other professionals to support all children to make progress. Staff have an input into how additional funding is used so their key children can fully benefit from specific resources and experiences.Children become increasingly independent as they move through the nursery.

Babies show a good understanding of keeping the environment tidy. Outdoors, they stack cones away and tell staff, 'no more', when they look around to check all the pans are away. Older children serve their own food and pour their own drinks.

This builds on their self-help skills.Staff introduce mathematics incidentally throughout the day. For instance, they talk about 'halves' and 'quarters' when children cut up their own fruit.

Staff show them recipes in the home corner. They discuss weights, how long the dish needs to cook and how many people it will serve. This helps children gain a practical understanding of mathematical concepts.

The nursery has close links with the on-site children's centre and neighbouring school. This enables them to signpost families for support, if needed. They share information with teachers so they are aware of children's individual needs.

Staff take a real interest when children talk about visits to their new school. They talk about the similarities and differences and what children might expect. This makes their transitions to the next stage of their education smoother.

The manager describes how she has built on the strong parent partnerships established through the COVID-19 pandemic. They are currently fully involved in plans to improve the garden. Parents send in videos and photographs to show children's learning at home to promote continuity.

They are very happy with the care their children receive and say they have 'come on leaps and bounds', especially in their speech and language and growing confidence.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager is able to identify children who may be more vulnerable to abuse or neglect.

Staff know the procedures to follow if they are concerned about a child's well-being. They clearly explain how they would report to the appropriate professional in the event of an allegation about another adult. Robust recruitment helps to make sure new staff are suitable.

The leadership team monitor ongoing suitability through a comprehensive induction programme, regular checks and supervisions. The manager has shared information with parents about online safety to raise awareness and help keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove staff deployment to help staff make the most of all opportunities to build on children's learning support staff to fully understand how to embed the curriculum for the youngest children, so that every child is provided with consistently high quality learning experiences.

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