Sprites Woodland Nursery Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are extremely settled and content at nursery. The manager and staff place a high emphasis on a settling-in plan for children that is tailored to the individual needs of each child.

Staff maintain excellent communication with parents to ensure that children have a valuable and fulfilling experiences at nursery. Staff have high expectations for every child in their care. All children receive highly effective support to give them a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning.

Children are positive and show curiosity and enjoyment as they learn. They behave well and show kindness to each other. For instance, older... children try and comfort and help younger children.

Staff carefully consider their environment and ensure that children have a wide range of opportunities to explore the natural world. They explore outside and use naturals objects as they play. Children build a range of skills to help them to be strong communicators.

For example, children snuggle up to staff as they read books, and staff know individual children's favourite stories so they can repeat and embed their knowledge. Children who need further support receive individual encouragement and strategies to help them develop their skills.

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

The manager has set out an ambitious and in-depth curriculum that fully supports all children in all aspects of their development.

She clearly and succinctly communicates the ethos with staff, who carefully build on children's knowledge and skills based on what they know. Parents are highly complimentary of the high quality teaching their children receive.Children's personal development is hugely valued and supported at this warm and friendly nursery.

Children have plentiful opportunities to play and learn in the natural world around them. For example, children excitedly count and compare the snowdrops and learn about daffodils. They eagerly begin to make marks as they tally how many they have counted and which colours they have seen.

Staff place a high importance on ensuring that children are emotionally secure. Children build close bonds with staff who nurture and encourage independence and confidence. For instance, children know the routines extremely well as they tidy away their high visibility jackets and waterproof suits with little input from adults.

Children wipe their noses when needed and see to their own care needs well. However, at times, staff do not use opportunities that arise to support children to take ownership of rules of the setting, to understand their own actions and develop children's knowledge further.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who learn English as an additional language receive excellent support.

Staff work swiftly with other professionals to gain support where needed. Parents speak highly of the advice and support given to both their children and themselves to ensure they access of areas of the curriculum.Children are highly engaged in their learning and development.

For example, they watch with excitement and anticipation as staff and children mix ingredients together in a bag. Older children skilfully articulate what is going to happen and comment that it will make a bang. All children show their knowledge of the process as they move their chairs back knowing the bag will pop and leak the ingredients again.

The manager and staff have an excellent knowledge of children's individual development. Tracking of children's learning seamlessly feeds into their self-evaluation and development in the setting. The manager is proactive and promptly addresses any areas for development.

For instance, they identified that mark making for boys is a key focus to ensure that children's achievements remain high in all areas. This focus is observed throughout the day as children use small pads to mark make, and boys show interest by drawing on paper attached to the underside of a table.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager has a secure knowledge of the range of families that may access the setting. She knows how to work with other professionals to help keep children safe. The manager and deputy ensure that staff receive thorough training to help them assess whether a child may be at risk of abuse and the appropriate action to take.

She assesses staff knowledge, for example, through discussions and scenarios to help them consider when a child or family is at risk. Staff complete thorough risk assessments of the setting and outside space, to ensure that high risk areas are known and hazards are minimised.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the support for children to gain a greater understanding of their own actions and take ownership over the rules of the setting.