Octagon Nursery Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are safe and happy in the nursery.

On their arrival, they cannot wait to tell their key person that they have put their coat and wellington boots on themselves. They are eager to play and quickly go to explore the wide range of toys and resources on offer.Children benefit from all staff's high expectations of them.

Staff focus on developing children's communication and language. They successfully use inclusive strategies, such as sign language, to teach children to communicate with others. Children enthusiastically use their hands to describe the weather during outdoor play when it begins to rain.

Chi...ldren enjoy a range of opportunities to develop their small-muscle skills. Younger children manipulate jigsaw pieces, turning the pieces around and problem-solving as they fit them into place. They use their fingers to turn cogs and moving parts.

Older children hold pencils securely and draw pictures of themselves. They talk to visitors about their features and go on to discuss facial expressions and how they can indicate their feelings. Children behave well.

They demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. For example, younger children concentrate intently as they place numbers in sequence and find the corresponding number of rings to stack on tubes. They keep trying, with a can-do attitude, as they find 'one more' to complete their stacks.

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

Managers value the unique 'family' of children who attend the nursery. From the outset, they find out about children's home backgrounds and the languages that they speak. Staff are inclusive and provide opportunities to develop language through everyday activities, such as singing, rhymes and stories.

Children also learn to speak different languages, for example, through specialist language sessions. This helps to value children as individuals and helps them to learn about themselves and others.Staff recognise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's social development.

They have adjusted their practice to meet children's needs and help them feel safe and secure. For example, children new to the setting have flexible settling-in arrangements. These help them to become familiar with the environment, their key person and other children.

Parents report that the procedures to help staff get to know them and their child are 'phenomenal'.Staff develop children's mathematical skills effectively. For example, they encourage younger children to count beyond five, and children develop secure mathematical skills in relation to their age.

Younger children count confidently and begin to make collections of objects up to 10.Children enjoy group learning times. However, on occasion, staff try to teach too many concepts during these times.

For example, children learn to complete simple tasks during snack time, such as chopping and pouring. At the same time, they stop to sing songs and have focused discussions. This can be overwhelming for children.

Managers put strategies in place to help children learn to manage their emotions. For instance, in their interactions with children, staff model their own emotions to help children learn to name feelings, such as 'sad' and 'excited'. Children go on to refer to their own feelings and those of their friends in everyday situations.

Staff work with parents very well to help children learn to manage their own self-care. Parents talk positively about how staff mirror the strategies they use at home to help their children begin to use the toilet consistently. This supports children's personal development well.

Staff plan for children to develop specific skills such as learning to write their name and learning to balance. However, staff are not fully effective in capturing some opportunities for children to apply these skills. For example, staff complete writing tasks for older children that they are capable of trying for themselves.

At other times, such as during physical activities, staff provide too much support, which means children do not practise skills that they are learning independently.Leaders monitor staff practice effectively. They frequently observe staff and give them feedback.

They regularly complete staff supervision meetings and appraisals, which helps the overall drive to continue to improve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders have a range of robust procedures in place, which they follow to keep children safe.

For example, they are aware of risks posed by their location and they risk assess daily and before children go outdoors to ensure that spaces are safe for them to use. Leaders implement robust recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable. They provide support and training to students so they have a secure understanding of how to keep children safe.

All staff can describe signs and symptoms of abuse. They are familiar with local safeguarding partnership policies and procedures should they need to refer any potential concern or allegation.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review group times to ensure that they have a clear and focused expectation for learning develop support for staff to help them recognise and capture spontaneous opportunities for children to apply the skills they are learning in their independent play.