St Petroc’s School Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive confidently and they happily separate from their parents at the door, eager to explore the resources and activities that staff have set out for them. The manager and staff plan a broad, ambitious and stimulating curriculum for children, to engage them in their play and build on what they know and can do. Children develop a love of stories from an early age.

They frequently select a favourite book and ask staff to read it to them, listening with interest. Staff support children's physical skills effectively, developing their coordination and hand strength. For example, they encourage babies and toddlers to use th...eir hands and tools to roll out and play with the play dough.

Older children use tools to chip at blocks of ice and they wring out sponges after they wipe up the water when the ice melts. Children make good progress across all areas of their learning.The manager and staff understand their responsibilities to keep children safe and secure and they conduct risk assessments effectively.

They take into account what they know about individual children when planning staffing arrangements and what resources to get out, to ensure the learning environment is suitable for every child.Children behave well. They are familiar with the daily routines and the expectations for their behaviour and they follow staff's instructions.

Children play together cooperatively and work together to solve problems. For example, older children help each other to work out how to use the seesaw and they consider what they can stand on safely to enable them to reach and continue building a tall tower of blocks.

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

Since the last inspection, the manager and staff have worked hard to bring about changes.

The manager has provided effective support and coaching to develop staff's knowledge and skills. For example, after completing training, the manager and staff have reviewed the layout and appearance of the play areas, to provide a calmer environment and meet children's individual learning needs more successfully. The quality of staff's practice is strong and children benefit from a good standard of education.

The manager and staff are particularly skilled at supporting children's communication and language development. They sing nursery rhymes throughout the day, model language clearly and give children plenty of time to think about and respond to questions. Staff teach toddlers new words as they play, such as smaller, triangle, patterns and zigzag, and use signing with the older children.

All children communicate their wants, needs and thoughts confidently.Staff know the children well and assess their learning accurately. Staff use this information to plan enjoyable and challenging learning experiences for children.

Children develop a positive attitude to learning. However, at times, staff in the pre-school room do not target the learning needs of the two-year-old children as effectively during group activities. These children are less engaged than their older friends and lose focus so choose to play elsewhere.

Staff form warm relationships with the children. Children demonstrate their feelings of security and comfort in staff's care, such as when asking staff for help. Children develop good social skills and are friendly, cuddling each other spontaneously.

Staff are skilled at communicating with each other and recognising where to position themselves to provide children with good support as they play and explore the play areas. The daily routine is consistent and well established. However, during transitions, such as when getting the children ready to play outside and when children line up for lunch, they spend too long waiting around and staff do not interact with or engage them during this time.

Children are resilient, confident in their abilities and take risks in their play that they deem appropriate for their skills. For example, many of the older children climb capably over large play equipment.Staff are patient, kind and encouraging.

They support toddlers to butter their toast independently and the older children to help to peel and slice fruit for snack time for their friends. Older children manage their own care needs, such as pouring drinks, putting on their coat and taking themselves to the toilet.Partnerships with parents are effective.

Parents receive detailed information about their children's progress and how they can build on their knowledge and skills further at home. Parents speak very highly of the nursery and in particular, the support that staff provide for their children's speech and language.The manager and staff have a secure understanding of how to recognise concerns about a child's welfare and of the procedures to report these, including to the relevant agencies.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the planning of group activities in the pre-school room to engage and challenge the younger children more effectively review the organisation of transition times between routine tasks and activities, to reduce the amount of time that children spend waiting.