Seascape creche

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are very happy in the creche.

The small family atmosphere that staff create helps children to feel at home quickly. They settle quickly. Parents comment that after only a few days, children go in happily and do not want to leave.

As children's parents work in the school, they often come and see their children throughout the day. Parents bring in favourite toys from home and comment that this has helped their children develop communication skills. Parents also comment on the support that staff give them in relation to sleeping and toileting.

Staff keep children safe in the creche. They supervise them w...ell. They use strategies, such as electronic doors and stair gates, to ensure that children cannot leave the premises unattended.

The curriculum for all children is ambitious and staff identify precisely what they want children to learn. For example, they focus on supporting children to develop single words. Staff have clear expectations for children's behaviour.

Children behave well. Two-year-old children follow instructions. They tidy up when asked and listen when other children are talking.

Staff model key skills, such as taking turns, consistently throughout the day.

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

The provider has not followed the correct process for promptly notifying Ofsted of a change to the person who is managing the creche. However, relevant forms had been submitted before the inspection.

The impact on children is minimised as this individual has been subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check and other suitability checks by the governing body in her role as headteacher.Staff have a good relationship with parents, overall. They communicate with them about what children are doing.

Parents talk to staff about what their children like doing and their favourite toys at home. This helps staff to understand and plan for children's interests in the creche in support of their learning.Staff know children well and plan a range of motivational activities to support children's interests.

For example, they plan activities to support children's communication skills. They consider how they can adapt their environment to support children's stages of development. An example of this is the adaptations that staff have made to the environment to support babies who are taking their first steps.

Staff have a good understanding of how they can promote children's language and communication. For example, they use single words, such as 'spoon' or 'more', to help to develop children's vocabulary. Staff also take children to the two-year-old provision in school because they have identified that children benefit from a larger group and are more talkative in this provision.

The new management team have identified that staff need to further develop their knowledge and skills. It has devised a programme of professional development to develop these further. However, the plan is in its infancy and the team now need to ensure that staff have time to attend the training available to them and implement key messages from training.

This aims to raise the quality of the provision to the highest level.Staff teach children about how they can keep themselves healthy. For example, children learn the importance of washing their hands from an early age.

They enjoy lots of fruit and vegetables with their meals. The provider is currently in the process of revising the menus to support children's oral health. Children love playing outside, particularly taking risks as they climb up the hill and slide down the slide.

Children quickly adapt to the routines of the creche. Babies eagerly anticipate mealtimes and crawl over when staff put chairs around the table. Older children help staff to tidy up when asked.

They develop good attitudes to learning, for example they are highly engaged as they squeeze sponges and splash in the bubbly water.Staff do not always obtain sufficient information from parents about the skills that babies and toddlers learn at home, particularly in relation to their independence. For example, staff feed some children when they are capable of trying to do this themselves.

They show surprise at what children can do. This reduces opportunities for children to practise and extend their skills further.Children develop very good relationships with staff.

For example, they greet their key person with enthusiasm and follow her when she leaves the room. Staff notice what children are doing and use techniques, such as copying, to help support the development of their communication. One-year-old children laugh and giggle in delight when staff make babbling sounds into a cup to copy babies' interactions.

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: nimplement a programme of professional development to raise the quality of practice to an even higher level gather more information from parents about children's development of skills at home to ensure that children have opportunities to practise their skills in the creche.

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