Raddenstile Childcare Ltd T/a The Dolphin Pre School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy at this friendly nursery. Staff warmly welcome them and they quickly settle into playing. Children form good relationships with staff who are attentive to their needs.

Babies enjoy the comfort of having familiar staff near as they settle to sleep. Children enjoy the daily routines. They join in with songs as they help to tidy up and get ready for mealtimes.

They demonstrate pride in being chosen as special lunchtime helpers. The nursery is calm and purposeful at all times.Leaders put in place an ambitious and engaging curriculum.

Children effectively build on their knowledge and skills in al...l seven areas of the early years foundation stage. They develop their mathematical skills as they learn to make patterns using natural materials such as pine cones. They carefully help to count different amounts and begin to recognise numbers.

Children demonstrate great curiosity about the world around them. Older children excitedly find snails in the outdoor area and watch them climb up the walls. Staff help children to carefully pick the snails up to look at them closely.

They share the children's enthusiasm and help them to marvel at how wonderful they are. Children are eager to join in activities and excited about their learning.

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

Leaders are passionate about their role in promoting good outcomes for children.

They reflect regularly on the effectiveness of their provision and make adjustments where necessary. They ensure that staff provide high-quality care and give children a broad range of experiences. They enhance their provision by arranging for specialists to come into the nursery to deliver activities such as monthly children's yoga sessions to support children's physical development.

A love of books is promoted well across the nursery. Children delight as staff read expressively to them and eagerly join in with repeated words and phrases. Staff are enthusiastic in their roles and encourage children to use their knowledge of stories in their creative play.

For instance, children excitedly retell stories in the messy-play area using play dough and sensory trays.Staff develop children's vocabulary well. They sing songs linked to children's learning and skilfully talk to children as they play.

Staff introduce ambitious vocabulary and discuss different concepts, such as 'fast' and 'slow'. They help older children to pose questions and consider the answers to problems.Staff promptly identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) works effectively with staff, parents and other professionals to develop individual support plans for children with SEND. There are good transition processes in place to ensure that others are aware of their specific needs. However, staff do not always ensure that children who are nonverbal or with speech and language difficulties are given appropriate strategies to help them to effectively communicate with others.

Children are confident and enthusiastic. Babies concentrate as they build towers using blocks. Pre-school-age children play well alongside their friends and challenge themselves to improve their physical skills, such as to hop or jump as far as they can.

Staff support children to take appropriate risks and provide praise for taking good care.Staff recognise the need for children to become more independent over time. They support babies to feed themselves under their careful supervision.

Older babies and younger toddlers carefully help to tidy up their toys. However, on occasion, staff are not consistent in their approach to teaching children, especially the older toddlers, to be independent and do not encourage them to try to do things for themselves.Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour.

They support children to take turns and be respectful of each other. Staff teach children how to recognise and regulate their emotions, such as through the use of pictures to help children discuss how they are feeling.Parent partnerships are effective.

Key persons share regular updates on their key children's learning and next steps. Parents report how happy their children are in the nursery and on the good level of care they receive. They appreciate the good level of communication between staff and the other settings their children attend.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding which puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the use of strategies to help children who are nonverbal or with speech and language difficulties to communicate more effectively with others strengthen the curriculum linked to personal development to ensure a consistent approach for helping children to become more independent over time, especially in the older-toddler room.