Smiley Faces

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive confidently and are greeted by friendly staff. They quickly settle, freely choosing from a wide range of activities. Children are happy and show that they feel safe and secure.

Babies confidently smile and babble as they explore. Older children self-register, placing their name on the day's job tree. They enjoy helping out and show pride in their job choice.

For example, they slice fruit at snack time or help to wash up.Children build good levels of concentration as they play and explore. They listen to staff and follow instructions well, for example when it is time to get ready to go outside.

...Children benefit from good teaching. However, staff do not always build on children's interests and curiosity to extend their learning further. Children learn to share and take turns.

They learn about their feelings and how their actions may affect others. Children behave well and gain increasing levels of self-control.Children receive lots of praise and encouragement to do things for themselves.

They learn to put on their coats and shoes and self-serve at meal and snack times. Children learn about potential hazards to their safety, for example when they complete checks of the garden. They thoroughly enjoy playing and exploring outside.

Children build good physical skills as they run, creep and crawl. They gain good hand-to-eye coordination as they pour and scoop water and sand. Children imaginatively mould and sculpt play dough, adding sticks and paper straws to their creations.

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

Staff gather detailed information from parents to help them establish what children know and can do when they start. They use accurate assessments of children's progress to plan interesting and stimulating activities that help to build children's knowledge and skills. Children are keen to join in and engage in purposeful play.

Children benefit from meaningful conversations with staff. They confidently answer questions and develop their ideas and imaginations. For instance, children use marshmallows and sticks to build houses and trains.

Children develop a good understanding of early mathematics. They confidently use numbers as they play and count to 10 when they play hide and seek. They learn about 'more than' when they recognise there are not enough bowls at snack time for each child.

They work out how many more bowls are needed. Children identify shapes they see in the environment, such as the triangle shape of the roof.Staff promote children's literacy skills well.

Children thoroughly enjoy listening to stories and singing songs. They borrow books to take home and share with their parents. They re-enact their favourite stories, often using repeated phrases in their play.

Staff help children to recognise their name and some children write the letters that appear in their names. Older children are learning the sounds that letters represent.Babies have plenty of space to develop good physical skills.

They crawl and walk, choosing to listen to a story or to experience different textures, such as shaving foam. Staff working with babies are attentive to their needs. They provide a calm and nurturing environment that ensures their home routines are supported in nursery.

Babies build strong bonds with staff. They giggle and babble as they play, and begin to repeat words they hear, such as 'ready' when they roll a ball on the floor.Children's good health is well promoted.

Staff encourage children to develop independence in their self-care and hygiene routines. Children enjoy a range of varied and nutritional meals that are freshly prepared each day. Toddlers learn about the benefits of healthy food choices.

They go to the shop with staff to buy fruit, building on conversations about the book of the week, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'.Parents are positive about the staff and nursery. Staff provide them with regular information about their child's progress in learning.

However, not all parents are sure about how to support their child's ongoing learning at home, in relation to their specific next steps.Staff state that they feel well supported by the manager and that their workloads are managed well to maintain a good home and work life balance. Staff have regular opportunities to talk to the manager about their practice and attend training.

However, the arrangements for the supervision of staff are not precisely focused to coach staff and develop the quality of teaching to the highest levels.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager ensures that all staff attend regular training on child protection and safeguarding children.

She implements robust recruitment processes that help to assure the suitability of adults working with children. Staff confidently fulfil their role to protect children from harm. They know the possible indicators that a child is being abused and what to do should they have any concerns about a child's welfare.

Staff have a good understanding and knowledge of wider safeguarding concerns, such as the risks to children of being exposed to extremist views and behaviours. Staff talk to children and their parents about how to keep safe online.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance parent partnerships even further so that all parents receive tailored ideas and information that help them to support their child's specific next steps and ongoing learning at home build further on the supervision arrangements for staff to raise the quality of teaching to the highest levels.