Our Monkey Club C.I.C.

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at the nursery full of excitement and choose what they want to play with.

They move around the setting, both inside and outside, with confidence. Children negotiate the outside equipment safely. They peddle tricycles and kick balls to each other, developing their large physical skills and spatial awareness.

Babies show excitement when they use the musical instruments staff have provided for them. They hold the shakers tightly in their hands, using their small-muscle skills to shake the instruments. Babies giggle and laugh as they make further noises banging on the xylophone.

Pre-school children... develop the strength in their fingers as they pinch, prod and flatten play dough.Children behave well and have an eagerness to learn. They take part in activities staff provide and spend long periods of time enjoying their play.

Pre-school children play with the magnet fishing game. They concentrate and use their hand-eye coordination to catch the fish. Children listen to the member of staff, who tells them they have caught a hermit crab and a shrimp.

Staff encourage the children to use the tablet to increase their information technology skills and knowledge of sea life. Children carefully scroll up and down the tablet pages and find the name of the other fish, which is a squid.

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

Management and staff implement a curriculum that encourages children to explore and helps their future learning.

For example, children enjoy looking at a book about a large, scary monster who has claws and purple spikes on their back. They listen intently to the story and repeat phrases from the book and name the different characters, such as the mouse and owl. This inspires the children who go off and explore the twigs and logs to make homes for their monsters.

They use their imagination and exploratory skills well.The staff know what they want the children to learn. They follow children's interests and provide a selection of opportunities for children to explore and investigate.

However, staff do not always support children to extend their mathematical knowledge. For example, children do not make frequent use of mathematical words in their everyday activities or practise their counting skills as they play.Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well.

They provide a calm atmosphere and use visual aids to help children know what is happening next, to help their understanding of routines. Staff work with outside agencies, such as a speech therapist, to help meet children's individual learning needs.Staff interact with children in a positive manner and get down to their level as they talk to children.

They provide a running commentary for younger children to help their understanding of words. Staff speak clearly and hold conversations with older children. However, some do not support older children to give detail to their responses.

As a result, children have less opportunities to extend their speaking or thinking skills.Staff help children to develop their personal skills and independence. Children choose when they have snack and know to wash their hands before eating.

They enjoy a wide selection of fruit and vegetables and clear away their own plates and cup after using them. Older children put their own coats on before going outside and learn to do their zips up.Staff promote positive behaviour and support children to learn how to share and take turns.

For example, children play harmoniously with their friends. They share the toys in the role-play area. Children play doctors and nurses and bandage staff hands as well as their friends.

They play shopkeepers and take turns to use the till. They say, 'it's your turn' and let their friends have a go.The management team are supportive towards their staff.

They provide regular supervisions and encourage staff to attend training. Managers and staff work well as a team. They are reflective in their practice and make changes to improve the learning for children.

For example, because the garden was dull and uninviting, they planted flowers with the children and put in places for them to sit and also dig. Children now enjoy digging and playing in the soil, looking for worms and watching the bees.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The management team and staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children. They are confident about the procedures to follow should they have concerns about any of the children in their care. Regular training and staff meetings help to keep the staff's knowledge of legal requirements up to date.

The management team follow robust recruitment procedures when appointing new staff to help to ensure that they are suitable for their roles. Staff supervise children well and carry out fire drills, so that children know what to do if they have to evacuate the nursery.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop staff's use of questioning techniques to encourage older children to extend their thinking and speaking skills further strengthen the implementation of the curriculum for mathematics to support children to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts during their play.

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