Play Place Wayside Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children are happy and settled at this inclusive nursery.

Staff are kind and caring, which helps children to feel emotionally secure. Children gain confidence as they establish positive relationships with staff. Staff support children to recognise, understand and process their feelings.

However, at times some children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), spend periods of time without staff support or interaction. This does not fully ensure their well-being and involvement in learning. Staff frequently praise children and support them with key messages, such as using 'listening ears'....

Children learn to be kind to each other. They take turns when playing games and are supported to listen to each other. Subsequently, children learn positive behavioural expectations.

Although staff know children well, they do not consistently plan and deliver a meaningful curriculum. Consequently, the quality of education that children receive is variable. Generally, staff do not have high enough expectations of what children can achieve.

As a result, not all children make sufficient progress in their development. For example, the activities staff provide for children do not do enough to build on what they already know and can do to ensure that all children make the best possible progress. Older children speak about their friends and explain what they like doing at the nursery.

They particularly like playing outdoors and dressing up. Some staff use simple sign language to support younger children's communication. Children recognise and respond to some signs and understand the nursery routines.

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

Leaders are enthusiastic and good role models for staff when interacting with children. They carefully consider how to spend any additional funding to support the health and well-being of all children, including those who may be disadvantaged. They have also considered how some aspects of the setting can be improved and have implemented some positive changes.

There is a lack of oversight of the curriculum, which means weaknesses in planning and implementation have not been identified. Staff confidently talk about their key children and identify what next steps they have planned for them. They use their observations to track children's progress to support their targets.

However, limited thought is given to what children need to learn next, and activities are often too basic to help them to make good progress.Insufficient focus is placed on supporting children's language and communication. During some activities, staff support children to talk about their own experiences.

For example, children excitedly talk about the 'yellow and sparkly' stars they have seen. However, more complex conversations are not promoted and there is limited new vocabulary introduced.On occasions, children will sit individually with staff to have a story or to sing songs and rhymes.

However, during group activities, there is an over emphasis on children listening to pre-recorded music as opposed to having quality interactions. As a result, some children become bored and lose interest.Staff work closely with the parents of children with SEND.

Clear systems for staff to work with other professionals help to provide some targeted support. However, children with SEND and quiet children go unnoticed by staff at times. As a result, they do not have the interactions they need to meet their individual needs and to support them to access the activities that staff have provided for all children.

Children develop some skills to help prepare them for the next stage of their education. Older children carefully serve their own meals and help to tidy away. Younger children are supported to put on their coats before playing outside.

Children develop small-muscle skills as staff encourage them to squeeze, roll and manipulate dough.Parents speak positively about the nursery and say that their children enjoy attending. They greatly appreciate the support they receive and describe staff as 'welcoming' and 'friendly'.

Parents value the opportunity to attend special events, such as when the librarian comes to visit. This helps parents to further support children's learning at home.Children are provided with healthy and nutritious meals and snacks.

They benefit from being physically active both indoors and outdoors. Children excitedly play a game of 'What's the time, Mr Wolf?' and laugh as they take big strides.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date develop and implement an ambitious and well-planned curriculum that provides all children, including those with SEND, with good quality learning experiences to increase their rate of progress.07/03/2025 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to develop their skills so that they extend what children can learn from an activity and enhance children's play so they remain engaged and concentrate.