Springfield Farm Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children demonstrate secure attachments with staff. They confidently leave parents at the door and settle quickly. Children eagerly explore the wide range of exciting opportunities, which helps them make good progress in their development.

They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and are motivated to join in with planned activities. For example, babies enjoy playing in a large cardboard box. They post small boats through a hole as staff sing 'Row, row, row your boat' to them.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Children use their manners and even young babies learn to say 'please' and 'thank yo...u'. Children are developing the skills they need in preparation for school.

For example, all children develop the confidence to do things for themselves. They make choices about their play, fetch their own coats and boots for outdoor activities, and serve themselves at mealtimes.Children are 'weather warriors' and embrace outdoor play in the rain.

Babies smile as they stamp in puddles to make a 'splish, splash'. Toddlers make a pretend worm pie with mud and rainwater. This is extended by staff, who search with them to find real worms to watch how they wiggle.

Pre-school children cooperate with each other and draw chalk arrows and lines on the ground. They carefully ride trikes as they follow the lines. Staff develop this further by encouraging children to ride around cones.

Children show they are agile and confident as they safely negotiate the space around them.

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

Staff introduce new challenges to children. They plan activities that support children to learn about what happens to food in the stomach.

Children excitedly 'crunch' mixture together in a bag. They repeat new vocabulary, such as 'saliva' and 'intestine', as staff explain the digestive process to them. Children suggest ideas as to what happens when the mixture is squeezed out of the pretend stomach.

This is effective as children increase their knowledge about their bodies.Staff teach children what is expected of them during daily routines and activities. They are good role models, who provide consistent guidance to children.

Staff use a colour card system. This helps children to recognise and manage their own behaviour. For example, children are supported to understand why pushing others is not kind.

This allows them to play together well for longer periods.Overall, staff are effective in supporting children's speaking and listening skills. For example, staff engage children in conversations during their play.

However, on some occasions, staff talk over children who are asking questions. Therefore, children loose confidence and stop asking questions. In addition, staff sometimes give too much information to children.

This means that children do not get time to think and respond before further information is given to them.The nursery provides healthy meals and snacks for the children. Staff speak to parents about healthy eating, encourage children to wash their hands before meals and after messy play, and provide access to fresh drinking water.

Staff use mealtimes to help children to understand the benefits of eating well.Staff do not organise themselves well enough during story times. Children's concentration is interrupted due to high noise levels around them.

This is caused by staff preparing the room for lunchtime and some children continuing to play with toys. This disrupts children's learning and their ability to fully engage with the story.Staff quickly identify where children need help and plan effectively to narrow any gaps in learning.

For example, staff use a simple 12-week plan for children with minor speech delays. This has resulted in some children no longer requiring additional support.Staff positively encourage children's imagination.

For example, pre-school children create a shop together. Staff ask children questions to help to extend their thinking. Children are encouraged to think about how customers will know how much things are.

Children talk to each other and decide to use raffle tickets to state the price. This helps to build on children's communication and social development.Leaders have high expectations for the children.

They have developed an environment that focuses on children's needs and reflects their interests. For example, staff use children's love of a popular storybook to help develop their small-muscle skills. Pre-school children eagerly mix and stir ingredients to make 'the friendly monster's crumble', and toddlers carefully stack wooden circles from the 'monster's wood' to make a tower.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a secure knowledge of the possible signs that a child may be at risk of harm. They know the procedures to follow should they need to report a concern about a child.

They are confident in their knowledge of how to report concerns about another member of staff. The manager ensures that safer recruitment checks are carried out to ensure the suitability of new staff. Ongoing checks are carried out to ensure that staff remain suitable to work with children.

The premises are safe and secure. Routine checks are carried out by staff to ensure the ongoing safety of children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the nursery routine at story times so that children's learning is not disrupted nensure that all staff give children enough time to process their thoughts and express their ideas, when responding to information and questions.