Orchard House Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The nursery team fosters strong relationships with children and parents. Children are settled and demonstrate that they thoroughly enjoy their time at nursery. Younger children often squeal, stamp their feet and clap their hands to show they are excited in their play.

Older children play cooperatively together and often seek adults and their peers to share their experiences. For example, during a large group game of 'What's the time, Mr Wolf?' the children all held hands, and took turns to nominate a peer to be the next wolf. Children consistently demonstrate friendly behaviour.

Children confidently initiate play and c...onversations with each other. Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to make choices. Staff listen to children with a keen interest and encourage children to listen to their peers and adults.

Key persons plan activities that reflect children's individual cultural backgrounds and their key interests. Children benefit from learning more about their own and their peers' heritage. This gives children a strong sense of belonging and further supports children's emotional well-being.

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

The team has established strong partnerships with parents. Parents say that key persons meet their children's needs 'perfectly'. Staff inform parents of children's assessments through regular reports and through an online two-way record system.

Key persons utilise information shared on this system to plan children's next steps according to what they need to learn next.The highly experienced nursery manager monitors children's progress and is aware of children's learning needs. She observes practice and takes part in activities alongside staff.

She works with key persons to set monthly targets for each child to bridge any gaps in children's learning.All staff are attentive to children's needs. They notice and respond appropriately if a child's behaviour changes, such as when tired or unwell.

Staff are mindful of their key children's next steps and praise children's achievements positively. When children successfully write their name on a chalkboard staff praise them and take photographs of the work to celebrate and document their learning. Staff extend children's learning further by encouraging them to practise the phonetic sounds of their name.

Key persons skilfully encourage children to recall their previous learning to reinforce and attain their targets.Children are very well behaved, confident and independent. They have a secure knowledge of the routine and know where resources belong.

For example, at lunchtime, they collect their cup and fill it with water from the water dispenser. They then collect cutlery from a cupboard and take it to the table, showing that they are developing their self-help skills.All children benefit from regular access to outdoor play where they practise and perfect their physical skills.

Staff are attentive to children's needs and support them to take safe risks. They offer encouragement and reassurance as children climb to the top of a small climbing wall. Staff provide children with space so that they can practise their physical skills independently, but stay close in case children need them.

Staff provide stimulating activities that motivate children's inquisitive nature. For example, they set up a table of flour. Children enjoy experimenting with the flour by making marks, throwing it, blowing it and creating clouds as they clap their hands together.

Staff enthusiastically use their voices to motivate and encourage children in the younger room. However, they are not always aware of the volume within the room. At times, it can be hard to hear due to the noise level.

Some staff require further support in how to extend children's language in their interactions with them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager has trained the team so that they understand their safeguarding responsibilities.

Staff are knowledgeable about how to identify possible warning signs and symptoms of abuse. They are aware of which external agencies to report safeguarding concerns to regarding a colleague or a child who attends the setting. Staff are informed of wider safeguarding issues and know how to identify families who may be vulnerable to extreme views.

Risk assessments are conducted daily before children arrive. The manager follows up on safety concerns as they arise to minimise risks in the environment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen staff's ability to identify when the noise level in the younger children's room is becoming too loud, to enable them to recognise when to decrease the volume in the room nenhance staff's ability to build upon children's language, to enable them to better support children to extend their vocabulary and sentences even further.