Roberts Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children enter the nursery happily and they settle quickly. They have positive relationships with staff and approach them when they need reassurance and comfort, which is regularly offered. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

The managers have worked together to devise a curriculum, which focuses on children's current interests. This helps children to engage in the activities on offer. For example, children enjoy using various resources to create pictures.

However, the quality of teaching across the provision is variable. The experiences and play opportunities afforded to the younger children are secure. At times..., the activities in the pre-school room lack stimulation and challenge.

This impacts children's progress.Children behave well most of the time. Staff encourage children to use good manners.

For instance, children say 'please' and 'thank you' as they ask staff for help when they need it. However, staff do not always address or manage children's behaviour well. For example, staff do not provide consistent support to help children manage their emotions.

This does not support children to develop positive behaviours or understand the impact their behaviour has on others.Children have fun and readily engage with new experiences. For instance, younger children enjoy exploring the texture of paint with their hands and feet.

Staff talk about the textures and introduce new words, such as 'squeeze'. Older children enjoy learning all about their bodies and learn new words, such as 'x-ray'. This supports children's communication and language development.

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

Staff supervision meetings are carried out regularly and staff's well-being is well supported. The managers provide staff with regular training. However, the monitoring of teaching is not precise enough to identify where staff need further support and guidance.

For example, managers have not recognised that staff do not always effectively support children who speak English as an additional language. This does not support children to make good progress.The managers ensure the nursery has appropriate arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They liaise with families and professionals to agree strategies and put in place effective targeted interventions. For instance, staff implement focused small group activities. The managers use additional funding that children are entitled to effectively.

For example, children who need it receive one-to-one support. This helps ensure children with SEND are included appropriately.Staff interact with babies warmly during care routines, such as meal and nappy changing times.

There are clear sleep procedures in place for the babies. For instance, they sleep in cots and staff check on them regularly. However, staff do not always follow appropriate sleep procedures for older children to ensure good hygiene practices are implemented.

For example, older children sleep on unclean cushions and bean bags. This impacts on the health and well-being of children.Staff promote children's early literacy skills well.

For instance, they invite children to read and listen to stories with them throughout the day. Furthermore, staff ask the children questions and encourage them to explore the pictures and talk about the story.Overall, most children listen and behave well.

However, there are some staff that have yet to establish consistent behaviour management strategies. This gives children inconsistent messages and does not help them to understand what is expected of their behaviour. Consequently, these weaknesses are a distraction to others and do not support all children in making the full progress they are truly capable of.

Staff use opportunities as they arise during play to build on children's mathematical skills. For example, they encourage all children to count in sequence during activities and support them to recognise shapes. Furthermore, older children enjoy using large scales to learn about one more and one less.

The managers and staff work hard to develop positive parent partnerships. They work collaboratively with other professionals to provide a joined-up approach, to ensure children and families receive good levels of support. However, managers do not ensure that parents know who their child's key person is.

Although staff share some information with parents via electronic programmes, this information does not help parents to know how well their children are progressing or how to support them at home, especially as children get ready to move on to school.Staff ensure that children have a variety of opportunities to develop physically. For instance, the youngest children are supported to develop their early walking skills, while older children enjoy daily yoga sessions.

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 meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date improve manager's and staff's understanding of sleep procedures for older children, to ensure arrangements are safe and hygienic 04/11/2024 ensure staff are consistent in their approach to supporting children's behaviour, so that children understand expectations and recognise the impact of their behaviour on others 04/11/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: monitor the quality of teaching even more closely to identify where staff can extend their teaching even further, especially to support children who learn English as an additional language nimprove arrangements for sharing information with parents to keep them up to date and enable them to support learning at home.