South View Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery. They happily leave their parents at the door and quickly settle with their chosen activity. Children are making friends and developing their social skills.

For example, pre-school children play cooperatively with other children and get involved in imaginative play as they pretend to be builders. Children show each other what toy tools they have, and they agree how to work together to fix the door on the playhouse. Toddlers show kindness to others.

When they notice some children have not got dessert, they offer to share theirs.Children have plenty of opportunities to ...practise their physical skills. They thoroughly enjoy climbing, sliding and jumping in the well-resourced soft-play area.

Pre-school children develop their muscle strength as they pull themselves up on the steps. They laugh with their friends as they take turns to slide down the slope. Toddlers show agility as they carefully crouch down to pick up colourful balls.

They excitedly play a game with staff and race each other to throw the balls into the ball pool. This helps children develop their hand-to-eye coordination. Children learn to be safe.

For example, staff talk to them about looking before they jump onto the soft mats, so they do not hurt anyone.

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

Parents are positive about the care their children receive. They feel that communication with staff is effective, and can see their children are making good progress.

Parents say their children have developed good social skills and have developed caring relationships with staff. They say their children teach them new songs and stories they have learned at nursery.Staff support children's early literacy skills.

For example, pre-school children work together with staff to recognise the letters in their names. Children are keen to discover letters they do not already know and ask for help in making the sound that the letters represent, which they readily copy. Staff read stories to children, and even babies recognise their favourite books.

Children find quiet areas to look at books by themselves. This helps children develop a love of stories.Children are supported to be independent.

Staff help them develop key skills, such as accessing the toilet themselves, tidying away toys and using cutlery. However, on occasion, staff can be overly helpful. For example, they wipe children's noses and put children's shoes on for them, even when they show a desire to do this for themselves.

Staff support children's growing language and communication skills. For example, when babies play with farm animals, staff name the animals, and babies are keen to repeat the words. In pre-school, children play with the doctor's kit.

Staff introduce new language, such as 'stethoscope' and 'syringe'. Children show interest as staff explain what they are used for. Toddlers hear a sound outside and say it is a 'nee nar'.

Staff ask children what makes that sound and children know it is an ambulance. This helps children learn the correct words for things.Overall, staff deployment is effective.

Staff engage with children during their play in order to build on what they want children to learn next and to develop their interests further. However, on occasion, staff deployment within the pre-school room is not consistently effective. For example, staff undertake daily chores for long periods, which takes them away from the children.

To this end, not all children receive consistent high-quality interactions.Staff promote children's good health and well-being. They ensure risk assessments occur indoors and outdoors to enable children to stay safe while they play.

Staff provide children with healthy meals and fresh drinking water. Children know the nursery routines and recognise when it is time to wash their hands. This helps children develop good hygiene practices.

Staff provide opportunities for babies to take part in creative activities. However, at times, these activities are too prescriptive. For example, staff tell babies exactly what to do and move their hands around for them.

Therefore, staff produce the painting, instead of allowing babies to explore the paint and develop their own creativity.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a good understanding of the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm.

This includes those who may potentially be at risk from radical views. Staff know the procedure should they need to report a concern about a child or about the conduct of a member of staff. Managers ensure safer recruitment checks are undertaken to confirm the ongoing suitability of staff working with children.

Staff help children to learn to be safe. For example, they support children to safely move up and down the stairs of the nursery by reminding them to hold onto the handrail and walk with care.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to develop children's independence and self-care skills further and encourage them to do more things for themselves nimprove staff deployment to provide children with consistently high-quality interactions without disruption, particularly in the pre-school room nimprove staff's knowledge of how to provide opportunities for babies, to enable them to develop their own ideas during creative activities.