Once Upon A Time Day Nurseries

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in this setting and make choices in their play from the wide selection of innovative and stimulating resources.

They are confident, enthusiastic and highly motivated learners. Children are fully involved in making decisions, and their opinions and ideas are valued and respected. Children form very close attachments to staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in their care.

Babies benefit from warm interactions and cuddles in a calm and soothing environment. Children independently share and respect other children's ideas. They manage their emotions with the help ...of 'emotion dolls'.

Younger children start with simple emotions, such as 'happy' and 'sad', and older children learn more complex emotions to help them express how they feel. Staff are excellent role models and use positive praise and reinforcement to encourage children to manage their emotions and learn acceptable behaviour. Children learn to manage risks safely as staff support them to use tools to unwrap objects in their problem-solving area.

Children have an abundance of opportunities to learn about the importance of healthy lifestyles and good oral hygiene. Meal and snack times are social occasions. Staff sit with children and engage in discussions as they enjoy healthy snacks.

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

Children have plenty of opportunities for fresh air, and enjoy a range of activities in the outdoor area. They spend extended periods of time in the mud kitchen, cooking for their friends and staff. Children enthusiastically explore a good range of natural materials to help them to develop their understanding of the world.

Children demonstrate exceptional concentration and develop invaluable skills in solving problems as they play with the latches board. They have good opportunities to gain mathematical skills, which prepare them for their eventual move to school. In addition, children learn more complex skills to support their future learning.

For example, they use measuring tapes to measure objects and their heights.Children develop their early writing skills by using an abundance of sensory materials. Babies use small finger muscles to make marks in paint and explore the consistency, while older children write their names and develop pencil control.

Partnerships with parents are strong. They feel very well informed about their child's progress. Staff work well with parents to prepare children for new experiences in their life.

Parents comment that the nursery is managed 'brilliantly', and appreciate how staff 'adore' the children who attend.Children's speech and language development is supported from the start. All children access a wide variety of books and stories, and staff read to them in an animated and engaging way.

They ask older children questions that help them to focus their attention and recall the sequence of the story.Managers are committed to providing high-quality, inclusive care and education for all children and their families. They support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively.

They work closely with other professionals to ensure that children receive extra support to help close gaps in their learning.Children's behaviour is impeccable and they are extremely polite. Children gain excellent social skills and build strong and meaningful friendships.

They share and take turns with amazing levels of maturity, and are empathic to other children's feelings. For example, they help each other to complete tasks and encourage each other to keep going.Managers lead their team well in a programme of reflective practice and ongoing improvement.

Staff benefit from a good range of opportunities to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. They attend ongoing training and participate in regular staff meetings. However, sometimes, staff do not consistently adapt their teaching to meet children's individual needs.

As a result, not all children get the full support they need.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The managers use robust recruitment procedures to ensure that all new staff are suitable to work with children.

They have clear safeguarding policies in place, and staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities around safeguarding. They have a secure knowledge of the signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm, including wider safeguarding issues such as female genital mutilation and extremism. Staff are confident about who to report concerns to, including concerns about colleagues.

Managers ensure that staff regularly update their knowledge on current safeguarding issues. They ensure that the premises are safe and secure.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: improve staff's interactions with children so that children engage more readily in activities and further extend their learning.