Playhouse Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Improvements have been made in the nursery since the last inspection, with particular regards to the support that staff receive to ensure their knowledge and skills are up to date. Children are happy on arrival at the nursery.

They receive a warm welcome from familiar staff and settle quickly into their rooms with their peers. Children have formed close relationships with staff and go to them regularly for cuddles, which they receive in abundance. This helps children to feel safe and secure in their care.

The youngest children enjoy fitting bricks together to build a tower and using ride-on toys to move about the space.... Older children have fun while they manipulate play dough and use letter-shaped cutters. They think about the sounds these letters make and are keen to share words which start with those sounds.

Activities are adapted to ensure that those in need of additional support can play alongside their peers. Children behave very well. Any minor disputes are quickly resolved by staff.

Staff model respectful and kind behaviours. Children learn about different emotions and what being kind and caring for each other means. They respond to staff's gentle reminders to use their good manners.

Children are keen to engage in a range of activities and show positive attitudes to learning. They are well prepared for their next stages in learning and the eventual move on to school.

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

The curriculum is designed well to ensure that children make consistent progress in their learning.

Staff gain useful information from parents when children first start to help them to focus their plans for what children need to learn next. They use a balance of the interests that children show along with their learning needs to decide what activities and experiences to prepare for them and how they will include the learning for each child.Children develop their confidence and show high levels of self-esteem.

They receive regular praise for their efforts and achievements. Babies are confident talkers. They are keen to show items to visitors and say, 'balloon' as they hold these items up.

Older children are learning to speak French, taught by staff. They are eager to recall and say what they have learned so far. This helps them to understand and value the languages of others and to communicate with some of their peers.

Staff promote communication and language well in this setting. They engage children in regular stories, rhymes, songs and interesting conversations to encourage them to use their voices. Staff use additional programmes to help them focus the support for children to progress in all areas of their communication.

Communication aids are developed, such as objects of reference and simple signing, to enable those needing support to effectively communicate their wants and needs.Children develop independence generally well. They manage their personal care needs and hygiene routines with little support.

The youngest children feed themselves independently with appropriate cutlery. However, staff do not always teach the skills that children are now ready to learn to become even more independent, particularly at lunchtime.Children have a range of opportunities to develop their physical skills.

They have fun while using various wheeled toys to balance while coordinating their bodies with increasing control. Children also learn about their oral health and how to brush their teeth correctly. Staff model good hygiene routines which contribute to children's understanding of how to keep themselves healthy.

Managers have made significant improvements to the support that staff receive. They monitor staff practice consistently and effectively to ensure that staff receive the timely support they need to improve and update their knowledge and skills and enhance the provision for children's learning.Staff arrange the environment so that children can access the resources they need.

However, areas in the nursery are cluttered with notices and additional stored items which impacts the feel of the environment and children's ability to remain focused and engaged in learning.Parents and carers speak highly of the nursery. They say managers and staff are friendly and easy to approach.

Parents say their children are happy and are making good progress. They say they receive regular information from staff about their child's care, learning and development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff, including those designated to take the lead in safeguarding, understand their responsibilities to protect children's welfare. They know signs and symptoms which indicate that a child may be at risk of abuse. Staff now have a secure knowledge of local safeguarding procedures in the event that they have concerns about a child's welfare.

This includes when an allegation is made against a colleague. They know how to escalate their concerns if they are required to do so. Recruitment procedures are robust.

This includes the background checks that are made to ensure that staff are suitable to work in the nursery. All areas of the nursery are routinely checked to ensure that it is safe for children to attend.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nensure that staff teach the key skills that children need to develop their independence further, particularly at lunchtime review the organisation of the nursery environment regularly to ensure that play areas are welcoming and free of clutter and enhance the learning environment to enable children to remain focused and engaged in learning.