Play And Learn Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children show that they feel safe and secure as they approach their play and learning enthusiastically with the staff's full encouragement. They make choices from a variety of resources and interesting opportunities.

They are secure in the routine of the day and confident in knowing what they are going to do next. Staff promote children's communication and language skills well. They provide regular and spontaneous opportunities to read stories with children and sing nursery rhymes.

Children sing their favourite songs and older children enjoy asking questions about stories and share their opinions with the group. Staff ...get down to the children's level and listen to what they are saying with a warm and responsive approach. They mostly use opportunities as children play to model new words for children to extend their vocabulary.

Children's physical development is well planned for. There are lots of opportunities to develop children's small- and large-muscle groups. Children work together as they crawl through play tunnels and pull themselves up to standing.

Older children coordinate their movements as they ride bikes. Staff are good role models, reinforcing children's behaviour with a respectful and positive attitude. They consistently give children encouragement.

Children develop their confidence and social skills and there is a strong focus on friendship and kindness. Children respond positively as they include their friends in group activities.

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

All staff, including those new to the team, work collaboratively and comment that they are supported well by the leadership team.

They have regular staff meetings and opportunities to share their views and opinions. Thorough inductions and staff supervision sessions help to ensure that staff understand their individual responsibilities well. Leaders are working on recruitment and are aware that the key-person approach will benefit as the staff team becomes more established.

Staff use their knowledge of what children know and can do to plan an interesting curriculum. This is planned around children's individual interests and next steps in learning. Staff have effective systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make good progress.

They are supported well by the manager, who is also the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). The SENCo understands the procedures for accessing further support from other agencies.Many children speak English as an additional language.

Staff gather information from parents about children's home languages to support them. However, they do not always actively use the information they gain from parents, such as key words they have learned in children's home languages, to help engage children in activities.Staff promote children's good health.

They talk to children and parents about healthy food choices. The food provided is nutritious and thoroughly enjoyed by the children. Staff teach children good hygiene procedures.

Children wash their hands at important times, including as they come in from outdoors play. Children listen to directions and confidently develop good levels of independence.Staff make sure that all areas used by children are clean, organised and assessed for risk so children can access resources independently and safely.

They supervise children closely and routinely check all areas, including play equipment, to ensure they are safe for children's use. Staff teach children how to play safely and children respond well, showing good listening and understanding.Older children enjoy learning experiences to support them in developing their creativity and finer manipulative skills.

They enthusiastically take part as they make shapes with play dough and play outdoors in the sand tray. Babies are not always fully included in the creative activity and there are less sensory resources and activities available to them.Parents say that staff regularly update them on their children's progress with feedback on their children's well-being and achievements.

Parents comment on how much they appreciate the attention staff provide for their children's learning and development. They say staff share the activities that children enjoy and their next steps in learning so parents can support their children's development at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date through training and regular staff meetings. They are confident about, and clear of, who to contact should they have a safeguarding concern. The manager assesses that staff use risk assessment well in the setting and on outings to keep children safe.

Staff complete regular fire evacuation drills and have current paediatric first-aid certificates. Staff teach children about personal safety during their everyday activities and routines.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to strengthen the role of the key person so that it is consistently effective in promoting children's progress and development to the highest level strengthen provision for children learning English as an additional language so they can hear and speak more frequently in their home language review planned activities for the younger children to provide them with more opportunities to explore with their senses and join in with creative play.