Orpington Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Staff have secure bonds with the children.

They greet children happily on arrival and help them to settle in quickly. Children show that they feel safe and secure. Staff plan various activities, such as threading, exploring toy animals, and using play dough.

However, staff cover too many areas of learning in one planned activity. This limits their ability to focus on teaching children the skills that need to be learned. Staff have appropriate expectations for children's language development.

They read books and sing songs with the children. Occasionally, staff do not give children enough time to think and answer ...their questions. This does not enable children to fully express themselves.

Staff place a strong emphasis on developing children's independence skills. For example, they encourage children to self-serve at mealtimes. Older children complete more-complex tasks, such as putting on their coats and zipping them up.

Staff encourage children to play well with each other. There are times when they interrupt children's play without giving them enough notice. This causes confusion for children and it affects their otherwise positive attitudes to learning.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff organised outings for the children. Currently, there are limited opportunities for children to learn about communities beyond their own experience.

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

The manager does some evaluation of their practice and has identified areas that she would like to improve.

For instance, despite most of the parents being happy with the nursery, she acknowledges that communication with them can be better. This will promote a stronger partnership between parents and staff, which will benefit children's learning.The manager offers staff some support and guidance.

She seeks the help of the local early years adviser to develop staff's knowledge. For example, following training, staff have learned how to incorporate numbers into activities. Children are learning to count, which promotes their early mathematical skills.

However, weaknesses in staff's practice remain. Consequently, children, including disadvantaged children and those who speak English as an additional language, do not make consistently good progress from their starting points.At the time of the inspection, the manager had started to teach staff how to observe and assess children's learning more precisely.

She recognises the need to plan a suitably challenging curriculum, with a clear learning intention. This will enable staff to remain focused on what they need to teach children during an activity. Although staff interact with the children, they pose too many questions in quick succession.

This does not allow children to express themselves as much as possible.Staff teach children about healthy choices. For example, at mealtimes, they talk to children about the effects of milk on their bodies.

Children learn that milk makes their bones strong. Outside, staff encourage children to exercise and practise their physical skills. Children enjoy using ride-on toys and digging in the mud kitchen.

Staff give children lots of praise to raise their self-esteem and confidence. For instance, when children share, staff comment on their positive behaviour. Children respond well to this.

Staff follow a daily routine to complete tasks, but do not manage this as effectively as possible. For example, they interrupt children's play to say that they are moving on to do something else. As a result, children become confused and it affects their levels of motivation.

Staff plan some experiences to teach children about people's cultural and religious beliefs. This includes inviting parents to talk about their traditional clothes and food. Children gain an understanding of similarities and differences between people.

However, staff do not provide children with a wide range of opportunities so that they can explore their local communities.Staff are deployed effectively. This enables staff to supervise children well.

All staff complete mandatory training, such as first aid and safeguarding. They are fully aware of what to look out for, including signs that might indicate that gang members are exploiting a child. Staff know how to escalate their concerns to relevant agencies to protect children's welfare.

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: continue to review the curriculum so that activities have a clear learning intention to help children to make consistently good progress nimprove the use of questioning to allow children to think and respond to enable them to fully express themselves support children to transition between play and other parts of the daily routine more effectively consider how to develop the curriculum to give children further opportunities to explore the local community.

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