Small Talk Nurseries

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

All staff help children to feel safe and secure by getting to know them well. Children go to them for cuddles and reassurance and these warm relationships help them to join in and play happily with their friends.

Babies and toddlers fall asleep in a peaceful and calm room, listening to classical music playing. Relationships between staff and babies are sensitive, stimulating and responsive. Children respond positively to staff's high expectations.

Staff talk to children in a calm, respectful manner and gently remind them to consider the needs of others. Children have a positive attitude to learning.Children have regula...r opportunities to be physically active.

For instance, children take part in yoga. They enthusiastically name different poses that they have learned and show visitors as they practise and stretch their limbs and strengthen their muscles. They know to observe their reflection in the mirrors to check that they are doing it correctly.

Outdoors, children skilfully balance and change direction on low-level beams and happily demonstrate their skills when using with a range of different-sized bats and balls. Toddlers and babies develop their physical skills as they crawl and start to pull themselves to standing on well-placed equipment and furniture.

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

Staff observe and monitor children's progress accurately.

They have a good understanding of children's level of development and individual needs. Where appropriate, staff undertake prompt referrals to specialist services and other professionals. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive the right level of support to reach their full potential.

The new manager has a clear vision for the curriculum and makes sure that this is shared by the staff. However, although staff are confident to share what they want children to learn during different activities, they do not always deliver these planned learning intentions. Additionally, staff do not always understand how to extend children's learning and to help them build on what they already know and can do.

Children concentrate and pay close attention when listening to stories. Older children recall familiar stories to visitors, such as 'The Three Little Pigs', and show excitement as they name and re-enact all the actions from the story. They benefit from a wide range of stories and freely access books in different reading areas.

All children acquire good communication and language skills for their future education.Staff support families with home learning through ideas, information and resources. For example, they can borrow books and home learning bags available to support parents in a range of topics, such as toilet training and oral hygiene.

Staff value parents. For instance, they know parents are often busy in the morning, so they offer them a 'breakfast basket' to help themselves to in the entrance hall.Staff provide children with clear expectations for behaviour.

As a result, babies are learning the importance of sharing and taking turns. Older children behave beautifully because they are constantly engrossed in their learning. Staff promote children's independence skills well.

For example, babies learn to feed themselves and drink from a beaker and older children self-serve their lunch and pour their own drinks.The new manager demonstrates a strong commitment to the nursery. In a short time, she has worked with staff to accurately identify areas of the nursery that require further focused support.

The manager and senior staff mentor and supervise staff in each room. This helps them to identify how to support staff development so that their practice is of the highest quality. However, this system has only recently been implemented and is not yet fully embedded or evaluated.

Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents say that their children are very well cared for because practitioners take the time to learn about them well. For example, before children start at the nursery, staff talk to parents about their children's interests and any areas that they may need help with.

Parents praise the staff team and comment on how much their children enjoy attending the nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a very good understanding of safeguarding and know about the signs and symptoms of abuse.

They recognise how to record and report concerns to the designated safeguarding lead for the nursery. Staff regularly update their training to support their safeguarding knowledge, which includes training around county lines and the 'Prevent' duty. Staff understand the procedure if an allegation is made against a member of staff.

The manager carries out robust recruitment, vetting and induction procedures. Risk assessments are carried out in all areas that are accessible to children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nestablish effective ways to support staff practice to help them build on their already good skills and knowledge and ensure the highest standards of education at all times develop staff's knowledge of the curriculum so that they can feel confident to consistently put into practice the intentions for children's learning.