Panda Nursery at Marvell House

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are eager to start their day at this welcoming and friendly nursery. They are greeted by staff that know them well, including children that have recently started. Children freely choose what they wish to play with until all their friends arrive.

They sit and welcome everyone at circle time. Children practise their counting skills as they count all the children and staff that are present. Children's understanding of the world around them is promoted through wonderful experiences that not all children may have had the opportunity to take part in previously.

For example, as children finish their interactive story...telling, they happily recall the characters that they have played in previous weeks and which story was their favourite. They talk about walking to the street museum and having fun at the fair. Children pay for their purchases at the local shop.

Staff extend children's experiences through stories and activities to embed their learning. Children learn to be independent from an early age. They learn in stages how to put on their coats and shoes ready to play outdoors.

Children confidently pour their drinks and help themselves to their lunch using a variety of tools, such as tongs and ladles. This helps children for their next stage of their learning journey.

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

Staff implement a curriculum that gives children the knowledge and understanding of many subjects.

This includes learning about the solar system, space and space travel. Children learn the skills which they need to be ready for school, such as taking turns, sharing and listening to instructions at tidy-up time.Children's communication and language are a high priority at the nursery.

Children who attend speak many languages. Staff use repetition and recall to ensure that children understand what is been said. They invite professional interactive storytellers into the nursery.

This helps to build children's imaginations and love of stories. As a result, children make good progress in their speech and language development.Children enjoy some group activities, such as about a 'honey bear'.

They develop their listening skills as they hear who has taken the honey from the bear. However, staff do not always organise group times to engage all children and build on what they have previously learned. For example, staff play children a recorded story that not all children can hear or understand, and consequently children quickly lose interest.

This reduces opportunities for children to listen and participate in stories they know well.Due to challenges with staff's deployment, babies and toddlers currently share the same playroom for continuation of care. This reduces babies' exploration of their environment.

Smaller resources appropriate for toddlers are not freely available, as these are not safe for the babies to access. This sometimes limits the experiences and learning of younger children.Staff use additional funding effectively to support children's learning and development.

They give careful consideration to how children can make better progress. For example, staff have purchased large dice to help children to take turns while enhancing their mathematics knowledge. Children make good progress in their learning and development, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Managers and staff are very reflective in their practice to enable them to improve outcomes for children. Staff undertake a wide variety of training with the local authority to enhance their skills and knowledge. For example, staff have recently attended a three-day communication course to gain a greater understanding of how to help develop children's speech and language.

Staff have regular supervision meetings and carry out peer observations. This enables them to reflect on their performance and identify areas for improvement. Staff support each other by offering notes of praise and good working practice.

This helps to develop an effective working team.Partnerships with parents are positive. Staff use parents' evenings to show parents what their children are learning at the nursery and the progress they are making.

They share information with parents which is easy to translate for the many parents that speak English as an additional language.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff and managers understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe.

They complete daily safety checks to ensure that children are safe and secure. Staff react quickly to implement procedures when required. Staff's skills and knowledge are continually challenged by managers to ensure that staff are aware of any signs or symptoms that may indicate a child could be at risk of harm.

All staff are able to confidently explain their procedures and who to contact if they have a child protection concern about a child or adult. Staff have paediatric first-aid training to make sure that they are able to react correctly if any accidents or incidents are sustained.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of large-group times so that all children can engage fully and build on what they have previously learned nensure that all younger children can access age-appropriate activities in an environment that encourages exploration and challenge.