Smarty Pants Private Day Nursery Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy, settled and confident in the setting.

They form secure attachments to staff, running to greet them when they enter the room. They are eager to speak to visitors and share what they are learning. Children who are settling in are gently encouraged to separate from their parents and join in with the activities.

Overall, staff encourage and support children to be independent from the earliest age, to help them prepare for transition to school. Staff model what they want children to learn and then allow children plenty of time to try for themselves. For example, babies begin to make marks in flour and se...arch for eggs in a box of shredded paper, opening them to see whether they contain a duck.

Children in the pre-school room are able to freely choose from a variety of activities, both indoors and outdoors, and also serve their own food and drinks at lunchtime. Activities are developed and extended in response to children's interests to keep them engaged.Despite the lively environment, children behave well.

They understand the setting's routines and expectations of behaviour, which are clearly explained to them by staff. The setting has recently adopted some new practices to help manage or prevent unwanted boisterous behaviour. Children learn to work together, share and take turns and praise one another through activities, such as weekly football sessions.

Staff also model language well during activities and encourage children to extend their communication and express their own ideas. Their understanding of the world is expanded by resources in the role-play areas, which have been selected to allow them to enact scenarios they may not have experienced before.

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

There is a well-sequenced curriculum at the setting, which identifies what children should learn and is very focused on preparing children for school.

Staff in the rooms are clear on the learning intent for each activity they provide and how this links to the overall curriculum. Weekly planning takes account of each child's next steps, and staff are all aware of these.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported.

Leaders are proactive in following appropriate processes to access external support or funding when they identify a child with SEND. Funding is used to provide additional equipment or one-to-one support, where needed.The quality of teaching is good.

Activities are well thought out to follow children's interests and also meet the learning intentions of the curriculum. They are also adapted to meet individual children's needs. However, when children have the choice of what they want to do, the organisation of activities can occasionally cause them to miss out on valuable learning opportunities inside because of more 'exciting' pursuits available outside.

In addition, sometimes, learning is not embedded in children's routines. For example, children learn how to use a knife for cutting dough but are not consistently encouraged to use a knife and fork at mealtimes.Children's health is well promoted.

There are lots of opportunities for children to engage in physical play outdoors and a wide range of resources to promote physical development and agility. They clamber over an obstacle course in the outdoor area and weave in and out of bollards during football sessions. Children with allergies and specific dietary needs have different-coloured plates at mealtimes to ensure they are given the correct food.

Good oral health is supported through routine tooth brushing.Parents are generally very happy with their children's experiences at the setting. They comment that they receive good information to help them support their children's learning at home.

They know who their child's key person is and who they can contact if they have a concern.Leaders assess the development needs of staff through regular supervisions and appraisals. Staff access a range of training, both when they join the setting and throughout their employment.

This helps staff to develop their skills and builds good practice. In turn, children receive quality care and learning experiences, which helps them to make good progress.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The setting has strong procedures for managing safeguarding concerns. All staff know and understand the process to follow if they have a concern about a child or if there is an allegation about a member of staff. They also have a good understanding of the signs that children may be at risk of harm, including from radicalisation or female genital mutilation.

The environment, including the enclosed outdoor area, is safe, and risk is well managed within the rooms. All staff are trained in paediatric first aid, which means they are able to respond quickly in the event of a child being injured.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of activities in order to ensure that children's engagement with learning is maximised nensure that learning intent is implemented in children's routines where relevant.