Nunthorpe Children’s Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happily at nursery and greet staff eagerly.

They separate from their parents confidently and enthusiastically start to play. Children of all ages choose from a wide variety of fun activities and quickly become engaged. Older children show increasing levels of concentration, such as when they use bricks to build a bridge.

They carefully balance as they cross their construction. However, group activities are not as consistently well planned to extend older children's learning highly effectively. Children form strong bonds with staff, who know them well and value their unique qualities.

They recei...ve plenty of encouragement and praise, which helps to build their confidence and self-esteem. Staff are kind, caring and respectful in their interactions with children. They are very good role models.

Staff provide a wide range of opportunities for children to find out about their wider community. For example, children visit and talk with older people in a local residential home. Children delight in trips to the woods where they splash in puddles, wade through mud and collect and count conkers.

Staff encourage children to recall these activities and their own experiences, including talking about their families. This supports children's good communication and language development. Staff support children's developing independence well, for example, by nurturing a can-do approach to new tasks.

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

The management team is dedicated to striving for high-quality nursery provision. Following the last inspection they have made significant progress in establishing new support systems for staff. Managers value their committed staff team and celebrate their good work.

Ongoing professional development helps staff to continue to develop their skills. This has a positive impact on the learning and care for children. However, some systems, such as setting teaching targets, are not yet fully embedded and reviewed, to inform further improvements.

Strong partnerships with other professionals ensure that children are well supported. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive specific care and learning opportunities. Managers use additional funding effectively, including offering one-to-one support to help narrow any gaps in children's learning.

Children's physical well-being is promoted well. Children enjoy fresh air every day and benefit from nutritious meals, cooked on site with fresh ingredients. They follow good hygiene practices and explain why, and how, they need to wash their hands before eating.

Babies and young children have many opportunities to investigate resources using all of their senses. For example, they play with sand, paint, water and flour, and enjoy exploring the different textures. Young children make sounds to accompany their favourite nursery rhymes and happily look at books.

Older children practise their early literacy and numeracy skills, such as mark making and counting. Children are well prepared for future learning, including the move between playrooms and eventually on to school.Effective self-evaluation is informed by staff's and parents' views and reviews of children's progress.

Managers take prompt action to identify and address any areas for improvement overall. Staff reflect on how well play experiences motivate children to learn and discuss this in meetings. However, staff sometimes miss opportunities to extend children's learning further during group activities.

Children behave very well. They learn to share and take turns. Children of all ages play cooperatively and demonstrate excellent manners.

Staff offer good support to children who speak English as an additional language. They speak in clear and short sentences and provide a narrative for children's play. This helps children as they begin to understand and speak English.

Parent partnerships are a high priority for staff. Parents are very positive about the nursery. They comment on the friendliness of the staff team and how happy their children are to attend.

They value how much progress their children make and the inclusive environment. Staff provide parents with regular updates about children's current interests and learning, so that they can support their children at home. Access to a nursery lending library helps parents to support children's developing literacy skills and promotes a love of books.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a good understanding of how to recognise and respond to signs of abuse and any concerns about a child's welfare. The manager and deputy complete more advanced safeguarding training.

Staff have a secure knowledge of wider child protection issues. Managers implement robust recruitment and induction procedures to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. All staff are qualified in paediatric first aid to help them respond to medical emergencies.

Thorough risk assessments and daily checks of the nursery premises help to secure a safe environment. Risk assessments of outings are regularly reviewed and updated.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nembed fully, and evaluate the impact of, recently introduced systems for supporting staff, to inform further improvements nenhance planning for group activities to help ensure that all children's learning is extended highly effectively.