Nuffy Bear Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are warmly welcomed into this homely and relaxed nursery. They settle quickly and are ready to have fun. Children are inquisitive learners and enjoy exploring their environment freely.

Adults plan experiences that follow the children's interests. Children are particularly fond of messy play and are able to use a variety of tools and resources to explore foot painting, melting ice and cornflour 'slime'.Children behave well and follow the golden rules they have created.

They are independent and like to do things for themselves. Children demonstrate a positive attitude towards their learning. They skilfully serve... themselves lunch, make their own play dough, following a recipe, and gather the bricks they need for building.

Children feel happy, valued and have a strong sense of belonging. They have many opportunities to have their voice heard and make choices throughout the day. Children express themselves, and what they would like to do, clearly and confidently, explaining what they are doing after nursery and what they think is happening.

The children make choices about what they would like for snack, what songs they would like to sing and activities they would like to do.Children happily share and take turns as they play cooperatively together. They pass the jug of water and oil dispenser to their friends as they make play dough.

They benefit from open-ended questions and engage in conversations back and forth with adults and friends.

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

Staff find out what children can do and know them really well. They plan an environment based on children's interests and their next steps in learning.

They monitor their progress and identify where there may be gaps in learning or where children may need additional support.Children are confident communicators and the language-rich environment is a real strength. Adults model language and new vocabulary thoughtfully and children explore these words through their play as they crack the melting, slippery ice to reveal the animals and help them escape.

Children are motivated to learn and demonstrate good levels of engagement and concentration. Older children spend long periods at activities planned with a clear intent for their learning. However, in the room for children under two years, there needs to be more focus on an ambitious curriculum and routine, based on children's age and stage of development, to ensure that their learning needs are consistently met and they make the best possible progress.

Babies have formed strong attachments with adults and often crawl and walk over to them for comfort. They move confidently around the space and pull themselves up to the tables to squish paint and use the puzzles. Babies enjoy listening to familiar songs and stories and explore the books, repeating and copying single words modelled by adults.

Routines are embedded and older children follow instructions well and know what is coming next. They get ready for outdoor play and enjoy the freedom and space to explore. However, more consideration and planning are needed to ensure that there are opportunities to learn and practise skills so that physical development outcomes are even better.

Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are supported and welcomed into the nursery to discuss their children's day. They speak highly of the information they receive and the photo updates.

They are happy with the carefully chosen, nutritious meals provided and explain how happy their children are to come to the nursery. Parents are particularly pleased with their children's progress in social skills and confidence, getting them ready for the next stage of education.The manager supports her staff team well.

Meetings and supervision sessions take place to monitor their training and practice. All staff say that they feel valued and that their well-being is considered. Through regular online training, they receive the support they need to further their skills.

Leaders and managers have a clear vision for improvement at the nursery. They implement new ideas and reflect on how well they meet children's needs. They work well with outside agencies to support children and families who need plans and targets in place, to ensure that they make the best possible progress.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus sharply on the learning outcomes for outdoor play to ensure that physical skills are explicitly taught and children have plenty of opportunities to practise and develop important motor skills support staff to embed a more ambitious curriculum, specifically for the younger children, so their experiences and routines are consistently age appropriate and their progress is even better.