Play Pals Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff greet children and their families with a warm welcome as they collect children at the door. Children smile happily as they enter and show they feel safe and secure in this caring environment. Key staff, who know the children well, take lead responsibility for children's care and education.

These established relationships help to ensure that the ongoing use of temporary staff does not have a negative impact on children's emotional well-being. Babies develop strong attachments and feel safe and secure. They snuggle into familiar staff and smile happily as staff sit alongside them to share books and support their interests.<...br/>
Overall, the educational programme is good. Children have lots of exposure to activities that help prepare them for the next stage in their learning. They are motivated and confidently use the available play materials in different ways.

For example, after rolling a ball to try and knock the skittles down, children independently use the same resources to play a game of bat and ball. Children behave well. They demonstrate a positive attitude to learning and an eagerness to try new things.

Children make good progress in their personal development. They are well supported by caring staff as they learn to identify and explore their feelings to help them process life events. For example, imaginative role play is particularly well used to support children who have a new baby in their family.

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

The senior leadership team is clear about what the curriculum should include. It fully understands that what children are taught in the early years will help them to be successful in their future learning. Experienced staff working directly with the children build on what children already know.

They skilfully adapt and extend planned learning to meet children's individual learning needs.The on-site manager leads by positive example. She evaluates the quality of the nursery provision and is keen to strengthen the provision for outdoor learning to further improve the curriculum for children who prefer to learn outdoors.

The curriculum for communication and language is strong. Staff model language well and effectively introduce new words to extend children's vocabulary. For example, as children paint with flowers, staff show and name the different parts of the flower.

Children enjoy singing familiar songs and rhymes and listen to carefully selected stories with interest.Staff provide experiences which extend children's understanding of the natural world. Children confidently practise what they have learned, independently planting bedding plants into small pots.

Staff create a culture where children's understanding of diversity beyond their immediate family is actively promoted. This helps to prepare children for life in modern Britain.Many experiences are offered to children to promote their physical development.

Children enthusiastically squeeze, pinch and stretch dough to music. Such activities help children to develop the muscle strength and flexibility in their hands and fingers that will support eventual handwriting. Children enjoy regular opportunities to be physically active.

However, older children who are eager to extend their large movements are not fully supported to further develop their balance, coordination or agility.Children are well prepared for the move to the larger of the organisation's two nursery settings when they turn three years old. Staff use quieter school holiday periods to familiarise children with the new staff and environment.

Children benefit by making this move with some of their friends. However, leaders failed to ensure that their registration with Ofsted took account of the nursery provision for children on both sites. Leaders swiftly rectified this matter.

Permanent staff discuss training needs at regular supervision sessions. They access training to gain the knowledge they need to further improve outcomes for children. However, monitoring and training for temporary staff is less effective.

Consequently, they do not always have a precise understanding of their expected role. This places an increased pressure on the established staff team, which works hard to minimise any impact on the quality of care and education children receive.Parents speak highly of the nursery, saying their children enjoy their time and are eager to attend.

Parents report positively on the progress children make with their speech and their personal, social and emotional development. They feel very well informed about their child's time and comment on how friendly and supportive the staff are.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are alert to the possible indicators of abuse. They complete relevant training and are clear that they would respond quickly if they had any concerns about a child's welfare. Relevant information is displayed.

This provides all staff, including those who are new to the nursery, with immediate access to contact details should they have any concerns. Staff provide good levels of supervision and conduct effective risk assessments to ensure children can move and play safely.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide further coaching, training and support to help temporary staff offer quality learning and development experiences for children further improve the curriculum for physical development to help children make the best progress possible nenhance the provision for outdoor learning.

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