Rye Garden Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

All children, including those who receive additional funding, make good progress in their learning. Children are happy, settled and feel safe.

They behave well and form positive relationships with staff. The manager and staff have a clear intention of what they want children to learn in preparation for their next stage in learning. They set high expectations for individual children's learning.

Overall, the manager and staff provide a well-designed curriculum that meets children's learning and developmental needs. As a result, all children demonstrate a positive attitude to their learning. For example, younger children ...maintain high levels of concentration while painting in straight lines and circular motions.

Older children love listening to stories and use their acquired knowledge well to contribute to discussions. For instance, children discuss reptiles and share their thoughts on why a chameleon cannot have antlers on the head. They speculate and use expressions such as 'wet' and 'sticky' while experimenting with what happens when water is added to flour.

Children gain a good understanding of mathematical concepts. Most children can recognise numbers and understand the value of a number. Older children develop their understanding of weight and measures while using a balance scale to weigh objects.

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

The provider uses additional funding well to improve outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. She provides staff with high-quality training to help improve their teaching skills. Staff interact positively with children, using effective questioning techniques to help build on their thinking and speaking skills.

This helps all children to acquire good communication skills and prepares them well for their future education and life.The manager and staff use effective strategies to support children to become familiar with the daily routines. They give clear rules, have clear expectations for children's behaviour, and encourage children to share and take turns.

This helps children to understand what is expected from them.Overall, the curriculum intent across all areas of learning is implemented well. The manager and staff want children to develop a positive attitude towards themselves.

They provide interesting and meaningful activities to help children learn about the differences between their families and the community they live in. This helps children to appreciate diversity and be proud of who they are. However, the manager and staff have not fully explored how they can use the information parents provide when their children start at the setting, such as the languages children speak at home, to support children's learning even further.

The manager uses one-to-one supervision sessions and staff meetings to identify gaps in staff's knowledge and training needs. In addition, she regularly speaks to staff about their well-being and how they are coping with their workload. The manager provides ongoing support to help staff carry out their duties effectively.

Staff report that they are well supported and have numerous opportunities to build and extend on their practice.The key-person system is effective. Children form close relationships with staff, and this helps to support their emotional well-being.

Staff have a good knowledge of what children can and cannot do. They use this information well to plan and meet their learning needs. Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning, including starting school.

The manager and staff provide children with healthy food and daily access to outdoor play to support their physical well-being. However, the curriculum intent and implementation for physical development are not challenging enough. Children are not consistently able to engage in robust physical activity and take age-appropriate risks in their play.

Overall, staff work well with parents. Although the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has placed some restrictions on the way staff communicate with parents, they have adapted well. Staff use technology well to keep parents up to date about their children's care routines and learning.

Parents report that they are kept well informed and feel reassured to leave their children at the nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff implement robust policies to help safeguard children's welfare.

They have a suitable understanding of child protection, including the procedure to follow if they have any concerns about a child's welfare. Staff have regular training to help improve their understanding of wider safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty. Staff carry out regular checks of all areas of the premises to remove any potential hazards to children's safety.

They follow robust infection control procedures to help minimise the risk of cross infection. The manager deploys staff well to supervise children's play to help keep them safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: make good use of the information that parents provide, such as on other languages that children speak at home, to help support children's learning even further review and improve the curriculum intent and implementation for physical development to help children become active and resilient learners.