Playaway Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children demonstrate that they feel safe at nursery.

They have close relationships with all staff, seeking a reassuring look or cuddle when needed. A well-established key-person system helps children to form secure attachments. Staff get to know children very well when they start.

They implement effective settling-in procedures, so that children feel very secure. Staff plan effective transitions for children between different rooms. Children confidently talk to adults and make choices about what they want to do.

Babies persevere as they learn how to climb onto soft-play equipment. Toddlers delight in singing a...nd playing musical instruments, such as tambourines and a ukulele, as they joyfully explore sounds at music time. Pre-school children uses their imaginations as they create magic 'potions' together.

Staff support children's early literacy understanding well. Children sit together and thoroughly enjoy listening to stories. Very young babies look at pictures in books and competently turn pages.

Two-year-old children join in and say words in the story, helping to extend their vocabulary. Older children recall familiar stories. Staff have made a lending library available for parents to borrow books to share and continue their children's interests at home.

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

Leaders and staff have high expectations of children. They have clear intent of what they want children to learn. Children benefit from a range of interesting activities and experiences that build on what they know and can do.

They have lots of opportunities to practise their skills and learn new ones, through their interactions with staff. Children, including those in receipt of early education funding, are well prepared to move on to school.Staff expertly introduce numbers and shapes into children's play.

Pre-school children count with confidence and begin to recognise numerals. Staff further extend their learning as they introduce concepts of 'more and less'. Children beam with pride as they confidently explain to the inspector that a spider has eight legs and they only have two.

Overall, children benefit from age-appropriate reminders to help them to learn how to behave. However, occasionally, staff do not support pre-school children to learn about acceptable behaviour. For example, children take resources from others without asking, or become sad when giving other children resources before they have finished playing with them.

Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills, inside and outside. They carefully steer small-wheeled toys around the garden. Older children carefully walk across planks and tyres.

This supports them to develop their balance and coordination skills. Children of all ages freely access activities of their choice, such as messy activities, construction and mark-making resources, which develops their small-muscle skills.Children's communication skills are, generally, well supported.

There is a strong focus on developing children's communication and language. Throughout activities, staff provide a commentary, model good conversational skills and introduce new vocabulary However, staff do not yet use the additional languages children speak at home to help support all children's learning about different linguistic backgrounds.Children have many opportunities to learn about nature and the environment, and their curiosity is encouraged.

They use magnifying glasses to view the insects they find under logs. Children examine the insects carefully before returning them to the soil. Staff ask questions about what they can see, encouraging them to use more descriptive language.

Staff communicate frequently with parents about their children's progress. Parents comment positively about staff. They say that staff support children to settle well and have helped them to develop in confidence and with their social skills.

Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities praise the support which staff give to their children when they attend the nursery and their collaborative work with outside agencies.Managers support staff well through regular supervision and feedback sessions. Each staff member has targets set and has access to regular training opportunities to extend and develop their knowledge.

Leaders work alongside staff and observe and model practice. They have accurate self-evaluation and plans in place for continuous improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers and staff know how to keep children safe and promote their welfare. There is regular safeguarding training for staff. They know how to recognise the signs of abuse and respond appropriately to concerns about children's welfare.

Most staff hold a paediatric first-aid certificate. Staff know how to treat children in the event of an accident. Effective risk assessments are used to ensure that children play safely and receive appropriate care.

Staff carefully supervise children during activities and outings, which contributes to their safety. There are thorough procedures and checks in place, to ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to develop opportunities for children to hear and use their home languages in the nursery support pre-school children's understanding of acceptable behaviours, including sharing and taking turns.