Puddleducks Childrens Nursery Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Managers and staff are passionate about the care and education they provide and are clearly happy in their work. Children are excited to come to nursery and parents value the support and care their children receive.

Children are happy and show they feel safe and secure at nursery. They confidently offer to show visitors around and enthusiastically and talk about what they are learning. Staff are committed to establishing positive relationships with each child and their family.

They are professional and sensitive when settling new children into nursery life. Since their last inspection, staff have introduced a range of ...successful ways of helping parents to support their child's learning at home. For example, story sacks with props and phonics activities are available to use at home.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Children are well behaved and considerate of other's feelings. Staff help children to understand how their actions may affect others.

This helps children to manage their own emotions well and develop respect for others. Developing children's speech and language is a priority across the nursery. Children enjoy books, stories and rhymes combined with role play to help develop their vocabulary.

However, at times, children are not given enough time to think and respond to questions. Staff plan for children's individual next steps in learning and have the same high expectations for each child. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points.

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

Learning is based on children's interests and they are excited to take part in the range of activities available throughout the day. For example, they talk in detail about what can be found in space while they make aliens and talk about planets. However, there are limited opportunities for children to practise their skills and embed their learning independently, as the full range of resources are not readily accessible to them.

Overall, staff have a good understanding of how to provide a curriculum that supports the development of children's communication, language and literacy skills. Their use of familiar stories, songs and rhymes is particularly effective. Staff play alongside children and use questions to challenge their learning further.

However, staff do not always give children the time they need to think about the question and respond.Children have many opportunities to experience the wider world and local community. They enjoy visits to play sessions in local community groups, care homes for the elderly and a local farm.

When children became interested in how they could help others in need, after hearing about the Australian bushfires, staff helped them find out more and supported them in taking part in fundraising for this cause.Staff consistently promote positive behaviour and attitudes in children. Children play alongside each other very well, are friendly and help each other.

For example, when a train track is broken, children help to fix it so they can carry on playing together. All children and staff have good relationships with each other.Children have a lot of opportunities to develop their physical skills.

They skilfully roll balls down a large ramp to knock the skittles down and take turns counting them as they fall. They enjoy digging and mixing with different tools in the mud kitchen. They regularly take part in group exercises indoors.

Older children take part in exercise sessions to promote their physical development and good health. This also helps them develop their independence skills as they learn how to dress and undress themselves.Managers are committed to ensuring they have a skilled and happy staff team who are always developing their knowledge and skills.

All staff report high levels of well-being and they are highly satisfied with the excellent support they receive. This has helped to establish strong team working and a culture of respect and tolerance that filters through the whole nursery.Parent partnerships are excellent.

Parents report being extremely happy with the service the nursery provides. They feel informed of their child's progress and have a lot of opportunities to contribute their own ideas. The nursery holds regular parents' evenings and parent forums.

This means they can become further involved in their child's early education in different ways.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have an excellent knowledge of how to identify children who may be at risk of harm.

There are embedded procedures in place to ensure staff are aware of concerns and a clear reporting process. Staff know how to report any concerns they may have and what the procedures are that follow this. All staff are well trained, including in wider safeguarding issues.

They know who to contact if they are concerned about a colleague's conduct. The nursery is safe and secure and has processes in place to help ensure children are not put at risk.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the quality of education across all ages, ensuring all children are given sufficient time to listen, understand and respond build on what children know and can do already by providing even more opportunities to learn independently.