Pepperberry Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at nursery eager and ready to start their day.

They are greeted by friendly, familiar staff and this helps them to feel secure. Children's attention is quickly captured by activities that match their interests. Some younger pre-school children like playing with toy cars, so staff draw a road layout on a paper-covered table.

Children make up stories about the cars. Staff help them to develop their story ideas and to add new words to their vocabulary. Children also find out that they can invent their own road systems with a pen and some paper.

Nursery staff are working effectively to provide care... and education for children during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Staff keep in touch with children who are not attending nursery and help parents to continue children's learning at home. Managers have carefully reviewed arrangements for children arriving at nursery and being collected.

Parents and children know what to do and where to go. This helps to promote children's confidence and everyone's safety. Many children take their own temperature by standing in front of the infrared thermometer.

They learn that numbers provide important information in all sorts of ways.

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

Staff skilfully use the older pre-school children's interest in the song 'London Bridge is falling down' to extend children's design and construction skills. They guide children to experiment with different ways to build their own bridges.

Children discover that, as in the song, some construction materials work better than others. Staff's expert support and questions help children to become successful learners.Managers monitor staff's workload and make effective changes.

For instance, a recent evaluation of the nursery's curriculum planning found that it was not a productive use of staff's time. One outcome of the evaluation is that staff do not have to write as much. They have more time to play with children and promote their learning.

Managers identify the strengths of staff's teaching and tell them what they need to improve. However, on occasion, their targets for improvement are not precise and measurable. This means it is not clear what staff are aiming to achieve.

This hinders staff's progress towards excellence.Staff understand how children learn and develop. This helps them to sequence children's learning.

For example, staff provide babies and toddlers with varied and exciting opportunities to strengthen their hands and fingers. This helps children to develop the strength and coordination that they need for drawing and writing when they are older.Staff accurately assess children's progress and quickly identify and address any concerns about their development.

When children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have a targeted learning plan in place, everyone follows agreed strategies. All children make good progress.Staff make sure that children's individual care needs are met.

When toddlers are not ready to settle down, they have a cosy story time until they feel sleepy. Staff use an online system to share detailed information about babies' care routines with parents. This helps to promote continuity in the well-being of babies really effectively.

Children learn habits that help to promote their good health. They put their sun hats on and help to apply their sun cream before they go outdoors to play in the sunshine. Children begin to take responsibility for their own health and safety from an early age.

Staff establish consistent routines for children to follow and make their expectations for children's behaviour clear. Children develop self-control as they grow. However, younger pre-school children spend extended periods of time patiently queueing and waiting.

Staff discourage them from talking to each other while they wait and this reduces children's opportunities to play and learn.The hard-working staff help children to feel unique and important in the busy nursery. Older toddlers closely examine their faces in a mirror while staff skilfully extend their knowledge and vocabulary.

Children begin to discover what is the same and different about themselves and their friends.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers train staff to understand and follow the nursery's safeguarding procedures.

This includes the whistleblowing policy. Staff know what to do if they are concerned that a child in their care is at risk of abuse or neglect. Managers take effective steps to minimise or remove risks to children and staff.

Children stay in groups or 'bubbles' because of COVID-19. Staff follow a rota for outside play to keep the groups separate. This helps to reduce the risk of infection.

Staff know which children are allergic to particular foods. They work closely with the chef to ensure that children eat food that is safe for them.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: set precise and measurable improvement targets for staff, so that they know exactly how to continuously improve the quality of their practice nimprove the planning of some routines, so that children's thinking and learning are fully promoted throughout the day.