Rockwell House Day Nursery And Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The new leadership team has made significant improvements to the nursery since the last inspection.

Working with staff, the team has worked hard to create a safe and welcoming environment for the children. The rooms in which children play have been reorganised to create a stimulating learning environment. All staff have benefitted from training and support to improve their knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to the curriculum and the early years foundation stage.

Staff maintain their roles as a key person effectively. This helps children to receive the consistent support they need to feel happy and secure. ...Staff know the children well in their care.

They understand what their key children need to learn and plan and provide activities to support their next steps in learning. Children show excitement as they play and explore and concentrate well in their play. For example, in the room for younger children, children enjoy exploring with dough and show excitement as they make prints within this.

Children of all ages are seen to concentrate well. They explore with puzzles, draw pictures, and enjoy being creative. Staff support children's communication and language effectively.

They offer an ongoing dialogue with the children to help them hear words consistently. Children behave well, and staff provide them with a good amount of praise and encouragement.

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

The leadership team has a clear vision for the nursery and has many plans in place for continued improvements.

Staff comment that they are well supported and that leaders are effective in helping them deliver good-quality teaching. Staff benefit from regular one to ones and staff meetings, which helps them to review their overall quality of teaching to a good standard.Staff support children's interests well during self-chosen play.

They successfully interweave what children need to learn into their self-chosen play activities, which helps children to succeed. For instance, when older children are starting to learn about letters, staff include these in games to help them to learn. This helps to ensure that all children make the progress of which they are capable.

Children behave well and, together with the staff, they have fun. For example, children love to dance and sing and are heard giggling as they undertake this. Children receive a good amount of praise and encouragement from the staff, which supports their self-confidence.

However, at times, staff do not help children to understand the consequences of their behaviour and why routines need to be followed. For example, children are not supported to learn why they should sit on their bottoms on chairs.Staff model language well.

For example, younger children benefit from words repeated with the correct pronunciation. All children engage in meaningful conversations to support their speaking skills. Older children learn from books the meanings of new words they may not understand, such as 'colossal', to help them develop their vocabulary.

Through effective strategies, such as placing their hands on staff to show they would like to communicate, children develop an awareness of respect and of waiting their turn to talk.Children enjoy healthy and nutritious snacks and meals that meet their individual dietary needs. Staff sit and assist children during mealtimes and support their independence skills.

However, at times, staff in the room for older children do not organise the lunch routine consistently well. This means that, on occasion, children sit and wait for their meals for some time, without being involved in purposeful play.Parents are very complimentary about the changes that have been made to the nursery since the last inspection.

Through regular discussions, meetings, and via the online app, staff ensure that parents know how their children have been during the day and how they are developing. Partnerships with other professionals involved in children's care are effective. In addition, the leadership team has worked very closely with the local authority to improve outcomes for children.

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: build on the good behaviour management strategies to help support children's understanding of the rules and boundaries even further review the organisation of the lunchtime routine, to ensure that all children stay focused on purposeful learning.