Riverside Early Years

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The manager and staff place the welfare of children and their families at the heart of everything they do. They have a good understanding of children's backgrounds and previous experiences when they start nursery.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), children who speak English as an additional language and those who receive additional funding, make good progress. Staff go to great lengths to ensure that all children can access the curriculum in a way that suits them and helps them to be included. The manager offers unique opportunities to enable all children to attend the nurs...ery.

For example, she offers home pick-ups and drop-offs. Children arrive happy and eager to learn. Those who are a little unsettled and reluctant to leave their carers are greeted warmly by well-qualified and nurturing staff.

Consequently, they quickly settle and demonstrate that they feel safe. Children play with activities that have been carefully planned around what they enjoy and their current interests. For example, an interest in vehicles develops into creating a Santa express train.

Staff have high expectations of all the children they look after. They understand that they care for a wide range of characters. Children play well with their friends.

They respond positively to staff, who offer guidance, understanding and empathy as they learn to share and take turns.

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

The manager is passionate about the nursery and the service she provides to the unique local community. Much improvement has taken place since the last inspection to ensure all actions have been met.

The policies and procedures for administering medication have been reviewed and improved. The manager and staff team have worked closely with the local authority. The established staff are currently working hard to support newer staff in their roles.

Staff carefully plan an attractive and well-organised environment that ignites children's curiosity and desire to explore further. For example, children love to explore the role-play post office. They write letters to Santa, dress up as postal staff and deliver their letters.

Overall, children behave well. They are developing an understanding of how to take turns and share. However, on occasions, staff do not always help children to manage their feelings and behaviour when the routine changes.

An example of this is when children move from independent play to tidy up time in preparation for lunch. At this time, children become a little fractious with one another and slightly unsettled.Overall, staff have a good understanding of how children learn.

They make good use of individual children's observations and assessments. Staff take account of children's interests and next steps as they interact with them. However, occasionally, some staff do not always provide the best challenges during their interactions so that children make the best possible progress in their learning.

Children have good opportunities to be physically active and have regular access to fresh air and exercise. They climb, hang upside down and jump on the large equipment, taking manageable, safe risks with staff close by to supervise.Staff make sure they understand children's previous experiences and build on these to offer opportunities that support their future development.

For example, children sit together at the table to eat snacks and lunch. They chat amicably and learn important social skills.Staff place high priority on helping to promote children's language skills effectively.

They enthusiastically interact with children and ask meaningful questions to enrich their vocabulary. Children also thoroughly enjoy singing familiar songs and rhymes.Partnership working is strong.

The nursery is highly regarded in the local community. Managers and staff build positive relationships with families from the outset. Parents speak highly of the nursery and staff.

The professional development of the team is well planned and helps staff to reflect and build on their own practice. Staff have regular mentoring sessions and supervisions. Recent in-house training to evaluate activities has helped staff to understand the areas of learning in more depth.

Furthermore, they develop their knowledge of how to ensure the whole curriculum is covered by planned activities.Interventions for children with SEND are excellent. Personal plans are very well focused.

Excellent communication, including meticulous paperwork, is shared with parents, health professionals and schools.Staff nurture children's increasing interest in books. They use a wide range of books to build a love of stories.

Younger children enjoy using objects that relate to the story to engage their interest. Older children become immersed as they recall the story and anticipate rhyming words.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff know how to recognise signs that children may be suffering abuse and/or neglect. Furthermore, they know how to respond to and report their concerns. The manager has robust recruitment and induction arrangements to ensure staff carry out their roles to the highest level.

She regularly monitors staff to ensure they remain suitable to work with children. Daily risk assessments are embedded in practice and help to provide children with very safe environment to play and learn.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide children with consistently higher levels of challenge during interactions so that they make the best possible progress in their learning provide children with even more consistent and clear guidance of expectations for their behaviour and conduct, especially during routine changes.