Play House Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children of all ages form close relationships with the caring and nurturing staff. They enjoy plenty of cuddles and reassurance, which have a positive impact on their emotional well-being.

Staff's high expectations for children's behaviour help them to behave well. Children listen and understand the setting's simple rules, such as 'sharing is caring' and to use 'kind hands'. This enables children to play happily and safely.

The outdoor environment has been improved with more opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Younger children practise their early walking with increasing balance and coordinatio...n. Older children delight in testing their agility and spatial awareness on climbing apparatus.

Children plant herbs and vegetables, which they harvest and explore together with staff, developing their understanding of the world. They learn about various cultural and religious festivals, such as Diwali and Christmas, raising their understanding of diversity. Children learn to use simple sign language and facial expressions to communicate effectively.

Older children use complex words, such as 'hydrate' and 'gravity', demonstrating their good language skills.Children, including those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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

The provider has failed to notify Ofsted of the temporary premises used by pre-school children while their classroom is being renovated.

This does not have an impact on children's welfare because the premises have been thoroughly risk assessed and do not pose dangers to children.Staff value the good support and coaching from the manager. They have attended training that increased their knowledge of how to enhance children's concentration skills.

However, some staff are less confident than their colleagues in implementing the curriculum for mathematics. For example, during a cooking activity, staff shied away from using mathematical ideas such as numbers and measurements. This does not fully extend children's mathematical skills.

Staff plan a variety of stimulating and age-appropriate activities to keep children motivated to learn. For example, children show good levels of enjoyment as they wash baby dolls during water play. However, at times, staff do not make effective use of group activities to engage children who are quieter and less confident.

Some children do not make the most of all learning experiences.Staff interact positively with children. An example of this was observed when staff encouraged younger children to explore various sensory toys.

The soothing words and close comfort from staff added enjoyment for young children as they learned to twist, turn and lift knobs and flaps on toys.Older children are developing their early literacy in readiness for school. For example, they are beginning to sound out and blend words together and show good concentration as they experiment with various writing materials.

Staff are good role models. They model the behaviour they expect and support children to behave well. The positive praise and encouragement from staff successfully raise children's self-esteem.

Children of all ages gain independence skills in their self-care. For example, younger children learn to wipe their nose unaided and throw away used tissues. Older children feed themselves and use the toilet independently.

The new manager considers the views of staff and parents to help evaluate the setting's strengths and areas for development. For instance, she has increased communication with parents to ensure they are fully informed about their children's learning, care and development.Partnerships with parents and other professionals are strong.

Staff share relevant information with parents and professionals for a consistent approach. Parents are highly complimentary about staff and appreciate their support, particularly during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.Staff know children well.

They make effective use of their accurate observations and assessments to identify any gaps in children's learning. This has successfully enabled staff to seek external support for children, particularly those who have additional needs.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are knowledgeable about the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. They know how to respond to and report safeguarding concerns, including allegations against staff members. Staff conduct thorough risk assessments of the setting to help keep children safe.

For example, they ensure access to the setting is secure and check visitors before entering to protect children's welfare. Staff deployment is effective. Children receive good levels of supervision throughout the day.

There are robust procedures for checking staff's initial and ongoing suitability to ensure they are fit to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date improve knowledge of significant events that must be notified to Ofsted.11/08/2021 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus professional development for staff more precisely on gaining knowledge and skills that can be used to enhance the teaching of mathematics nincrease ways of fully supporting and challenging children who are quieter and less confident, particularly during group activities, to help them make the most of all learning experiences.