Play Away Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children make exceptional levels of progress and truly flourish in this inspirational nursery. Their well-being is of the highest priority. Children demonstrate high levels of enjoyment and engagement in the interesting opportunities created for them.

Staff knowledge of the importance of early years and child development means that they know how to promote children's learning effectively. For example, staff place a great emphasis on communication and language. This is well-sequenced throughout the nursery; babies engage in songs and rhymes, toddlers enjoy interacting with story books and pre-school children enjoy retelli...ng the story of The 'Tiger Who Came to Tea'.

The manager and her team place great importance on understanding and supporting the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work extremely closely with other professionals and parents to help support all children's individual needs. For example, community nurses attend the nursery to train staff to support children's individual needs and requirements.

As a result, children with SEND make incredible progress and are well prepared to move on to the next stage of learning.Children show high levels of respect towards each other and the environment. Staff model respect and ensure children feel highly valued.

Children willingly offer help with tasks, including tidying up between play times. Children are extremely confident and feel safe and secure. The management team recognised, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, that children's physical skills had been affected.

Children access a 'gym' and thoroughly enjoy their time spent in here. They roll over, do somersaults and pretend to be horses galloping around. As a result, gaps have been successfully closed.

The nursery has a pet tortoise. Children learn caring and nurturing skills as they tend to the needs of the tortoise. This helps children understand about compassion and responsibility.

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

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Managers and staff place a strong emphasis on providing a broad and balanced curriculum. The impact of this on what children know, understand, remember and can do is exceptional and highly effective.

The nursery has a warm and welcoming ethos, staff strive to ensure that every family feels included. Staff place immense focus on ensuring children settle into nursery with ease and that parents are also supported through this process. Settling in sessions are tailored to support the emotional needs of individual children.

Transitions within the nursery are extremely effective, time is given to all children to adjust and settle into the next room.Routines are sequenced well in each room. Staff encourage independence skills from the beginning of children's journey at the nursery.

This helps children to make choices about what they do. Babies take part in numerous activities that offer choices, such as choosing to play with musical instruments or dough. Toddlers intensely concentrate on pouring their own drinks and pre-school children enjoy serving their own meals.

As a result, children feel a great sense of pride and achievement.Partnership with parents is strong. Parents comment that staff 'go above and beyond' to support children's individual needs.

Staff share detailed information about children's progress and offer home learning activities to support learning at home. As a result, children are thriving.Staff are extremely happy in their work.

They say that they feel very well supported by the management team and work colleagues. Staff welfare is given high priority. They benefit from targeted training opportunities, such as learning how to use Makaton for children with SEND.

This ensures that all children make the progress they are capable of.Children develop a love of reading. Staff, children and parents enjoyed taking part in a sponsored read.

In response to this, the nursery created a library for the children to access. This provides a space for children to extend their literacy skills further.The nursery atmosphere is incredibly calm.

Children have plenty of opportunities to understand and practice what they learn. Staff support children's understanding of learning before moving them on to their next steps. This helps children to remember their new skills and to build on them successfully.

Children learn about emotions and how to manage them through carefully planned activities. Adults sensitively discuss different feelings, what they might look like and how they might feel to help further develop children's understanding. As a result, children are extremely kind and considerate to their friends.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The management team carry out thorough checks during recruitment to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Staff can identify signs and symptoms of abuse.

They understand the procedures for reporting abuse to the designated safeguarding lead and know how to escalate concerns to the relevant agencies should they need to. Staff undertake in depth training and continue to keep their knowledge up to date through team meetings on a regular basis. Children learn to assess risks for themselves, such as balancing across the balancing beams, they approach these challenges with enthusiasm and confidence.