Riverside Nursery Schools - Richmond

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The provider has high aims for all children and ensures that staff plan a curriculum that supports individual children to progress to the next stages in their learning. The team works in partnership with parents and other professionals to plan for and meet the needs of individual children.Staff meet children's emotional needs well.

Babies enjoy interactions with staff. They pick up toys of their choice and take them to staff to share their play experiences. Toddlers demonstrate a sense of belonging, for example they help to tidy up after play.

Older children feel encouraged to express their thoughts, for instance as st...aff say, 'Thanks for sharing,' to acknowledge their contribution to discussions. Staff teach children to use vocabulary that describes their emotions. Children behave well and show they are happy and settled at the nursery.

Staff introduce children to songs and rhymes that help them learn new words. They provide opportunities for young children to learn to name pictures and objects. Children who need support with their communication and language skills make good progress from their starting points.

Staff provide regular opportunities for children to play in the fresh air and to exercise both indoors and outdoors. However, they have not planned ways to enhance the outdoor provision, to provide a wider range of activities, particularly for those children who prefer learning outdoors.

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

Self-evaluation is effective.

The provider has taken appropriate steps to address previous breaches of requirements. They have provided training for staff on safeguarding to ensure they understand the referral procedures to follow. Staff understand the setting's policies and procedures in relation to supporting and understanding children's behaviour, including record-keeping.

The provider has started implementing appropriate improvements to the induction and supervision of staff to ensure any weaknesses and training needs are identified and addressed. The provider has reviewed and improved staff deployment to ensure qualified staff are available to work with children.Staff are skilful in supporting older children to integrate new knowledge.

For example, they teach children about the sun and the planets, and introduce vocabulary such as 'orbit' and 'volcano'. To help children deepen their knowledge they plan further activities to help them understand the meaning of these words and to explore their learning through art and craft activities. Parents say that their children remember and recall their learning.

Staff promote children's independence during mealtimes and during daily routines. For example, older babies explore the use of cutlery at mealtimes, and toddlers learn to roll a mat and store it away, after use. Older children demonstrate an understanding of routines, such as washing hands with soap and disposing of paper towels in the bin after use.

Staff introduce children to cultural celebrations. They provide opportunities for children to try foods that reflect people's diversity. Overall, children develop a good understanding of the world around them.

However, staff do not plan as many opportunities to strengthen children's understanding of the use of technology and how things work.Staff plan well to support individual children's understanding of shapes, quantities and numbers. Babies explore shapes, for instance as they reach out for and pop bubbles in the garden.

Toddlers use vocabulary such as 'big' and 'wide', for instance, while reading a story with staff. Older children demonstrate confidence in identifying number symbols and learn to count objects.Staff teach young children to name colours and provide opportunities for them to explore natural materials, such as sand.

Older children show interest in painting and focus well during these activities.Staff use assessment effectively to identify areas in which individual children need additional support. They work closely with parents to meet individual children's learning needs and to help them catch up with their peers.

Children who speak English as an additional language build confidence in learning and using new words. Those who need support with their behaviour learn to understand boundaries. Children make good progress from their starting points.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that 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: nenhance the outdoor provision, to provide a wider range of activities, particularly for children who learn best outdoors nincrease opportunities to help children learn about technology and how things work, to strengthen their understanding of the world.