Spring Gate Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff think carefully about their room layout to ensure all children are able to access all areas of their environment.

Children are provided with a range of activities, both indoors and outdoors, that promote all areas of learning. Children make good progress in their development. They eagerly engage in a range of sensory activities, such as sand, water and paint play.

Older children start to prescribe meanings to marks they make. For instance, as they use the brush they make comments, such as 'This is daddy's face, this is daddy's nose'. Children show high levels of concentration and perseverance.

For exampl...e, when they are trying to balance or climb up the different play equipment. Staff are on hand to support the children where needed. Children are happy and settled.

Staff show lots of care and attention towards the children. This helps children to build positive relationships with them. Children actively seek staff out throughout the day.

Staff politely remind children of the rules as they play. They also speak to the children about using equipment safely and carefully. Children respond well to staff's instructions.

They behave well. Children enjoy dressing up. Staff provide a step-by-step guide to support the children to learn how they can put the different costumes on.

Once dressed, children show their imagination as they pretend to be 'superheroes'.

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

The curriculum is ambitious. Leaders are keen for all children to leave their nursery ready for the next stage of their learning.

Leaders place focus on supporting children's personal development and their communication and language.Staff read stories with lots of enthusiasm and excitement. This helps children to become fully absorbed into the story they are listening too.

Younger children smile as they point to the pictures in the story. Older children start to answer questions about the story. This approach supports children to develop a love for books from a young age.

Staff find out children's starting points from parents. They also complete their own observations on the children. Staff use this information to help identify next steps and 'wow' moments.

However, there are occasions where staff do not fully differentiate activities to ensure learning outcomes are suitable and achievable for all children.Leaders regularly attend meetings with other professionals. Staff receive swift updates about the outcomes from those meetings.

Leaders and staff use the information they have gathered to help develop effective plans for children. This approach ensures that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the specialist help and support they require.Staff speak positively about the support they receive from leaders.

This includes how leaders support their own well-being. Leaders use supervisions and observations to identify any training needs and to help raise staff confidence. However, supervisions are not yet focused enough on supporting staff to raise the quality of teaching that children receive to the highest possible level.

Parents comment they can see the progress their child is making in their confidence and their speech. Staff keep parents up to date about their child's development. They provide parents with ways they can support their child at home.

Leaders and staff regularly attend meetings with other settings that children are due to attend. They use this to share key information about the children. This process ensures children receive the consistency they require in their care and/or learning.

Settling-in sessions are tailored to each child. Staff find out key information about children's dietary needs, medical requirements and their general routines. Staff immediately recognise and respond to children when they show signs of tiredness, hunger or when they require changing.

Staff are attentive towards each child. They immediately go over to children when they become upset. However, staff are not consistent in their approach to how they manage children's behaviours.

This does not support children to start to learn how their actions affect others.The nursery is inclusive. Staff use a range of festivals and celebrations to teach the children about their similarities and differences.

Children start to learn about what makes them unique. They make comments as they see their similarities with others.Children are provided with a range of balanced meals, which they thoroughly enjoy.

Staff encourage children to wash their hands regularly. Children also have lots of opportunities to be physically active. This supports children to learn how they can stay healthy and clean.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The nursery is safe and secure. Staff demonstrate sound knowledge of a wide range of abuse.

This includes child sexual exploitation, county lines and the 'Prevent' duty. Staff recognise the signs that may indicate someone is no longer suitable to work with the children. They fully understand the action they should take to keep children safe from harm.

Recruitment procedures check that staff are suitable to work with children. Leaders follow the correct ratio requirements. Staff deploy themselves well to supervise children effectively.

Leaders have effective systems in place to respond swiftly to children if they become ill at the nursery. Staff have sound knowledge of the procedures to follow if children have an accident at the nursery.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus the use of supervisions more precisely on raising the quality of teaching and learning children receive to the highest possible level support staff to differentiate activities to ensure learning outcomes are suitable and achievable for all children nimprove the consistency of how staff manage children's behaviours to support children to understand how their actions affect others.