Serendipitys Day Nursery and Pre-school

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

When children arrive, they light up the room with a beaming smile on their face. This indicates they feel happy, safe and secure in the nursery.

Children enjoy the outstanding interactions with staff and eagerly explore in the exciting environment that has been created for them. For example, babies investigate the enchanting sensory bottles. Toddlers cannot resist the enticing bug habitat, which follows on from their discovery of a spider on the way to nursery.

This contributes to their understanding of the natural world. Pre-school children go into a cosy tent to re-enact popular stories, demonstrating their im...aginative skills.Children's physical development is given the highest priority in the nursery.

Babies show exceptional balancing skills as they walk across the milk crates unaided. Toddlers copy staff and use knives safely to cut up fruit and vegetables. Pre-school children take part in a daily running session, where they follow instructions to copy staff's actions.

For example, they reach up high and then bend to touch their toes then run across the tennis court. Children persevere and thoroughly enjoy developing their problem-solving skills. For example, with little or no intervention from staff they skilfully create a den using material, poles and string.

They carefully wrap string around the poles to secure the roof of the den. This shows how children's creative skills are actively supported. Children show respect and kindness.

When children play alongside staff in the sand, they offer staff a car to play with, displaying care and thoughtfulness to adults.

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

The extremely dedicated and knowledgeable manager and well-established staff team work tirelessly to help all children have the best possible start. The manager plans meticulous support for staff, including regular individual meetings and team meetings, alongside monitoring their teaching.

Through access to childcare research, staff extend their knowledge further. One example of this is baby room staff discovering the benefits of babies walking bare foot and being able to develop sensory experiences through their feet. Gaps in staff practice are quickly identified and addressed.

For example, staff are attending a mathematics workshop to enhance their already good knowledge and skills of teaching this subject.Through the manager's and staff's stringent assessment of each individual child's progress, they have developed a curriculum that is heavily focused on developing children's speech and language. Staff working with babies respond immediately to their babbling, talking to them and repeating their developing words.

Staff working with toddlers have implemented activities that target language development in small groups of children. Staff in pre-school are competent at sign language, which they use as additional communication tool for non-verbal children. This contributes exceptionally well to the inclusion of children with special educational needs/and or disabilities in group times.

Staff instinctively know what children like to play with. They know when to interact with children and when to allow them to explore and play independently. This results in children of all ages being highly engaged in what they are doing.

Staff expertly introduce opportunities to support children in building on their knowledge about healthy lifestyles. For example, when eating lunch of salmon risotto, staff tell children salmon is especially good to eat as it provides Omega 3 to help develop their brains.The manager makes excellent use of additional funding available to children, which has a highly positive impact on their lives.

For example, children receive targeted one-to-one support from staff. Some funding is used to ensure children receive healthy, home-cooked meals.Staff encourage children constantly, and their enthusiasm is infectious.

For example, staff see every opportunity as a learning experience. When toddlers go on a bug hunt, staff encourage them to use their emerging literacy skills and find the same bug in a book. This interest is further explored when children take their bugs indoors and discover mathematical concepts, such as their worms burrow, 'under' and, 'over' the wood.

Finally, toddlers explore their creativity to make their own bugs using a variety of resources.Staff tirelessly ensure they make children feel unique. For example, they celebrate children who speak English as an additional language or have a different culture.

Staff provide them with the opportunity to explore and share their lentil soup recipe ingredients in the mud kitchen. Children delight in sharing aspects of their home life.Staff work closely with parents.

They keep them informed about all aspects of their children's care and learning. Parents are extremely positive about the nursery and the impact it has had on their child's development. Staff guide parents on how they can extend children's learning at home through good use of electronic communication.

The home lending library has been especially successful in ensuring children develop a love of books and reading.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a comprehensive knowledge of the types of abuse and the signs that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm.

Furthermore, staff are confident in reporting any safeguarding concerns to relevant agencies. The manager has a strong ethos in place to ensure that vulnerable children are monitored and remain safe and secure. The nursery is safe and exceptionally bright and clean.

There are rigorous hygiene practices adopted to prevent the spread of infection. For example, staff sanitise toilets after children have used the bathroom. The human resources department of the nursery ensures there are robust recruitment procedures and regular checks for the ongoing suitability of staff to work with children.

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