Strong Tower Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff create a happy and safe environment for children. They know children well and build strong relationships with their parents and carers. This enables them to provide familiar care routines and learning experiences for children, which help them to settle and feel secure.

Children develop affectionate bonds with staff and clearly feel at home in the setting. Staff have high expectations for children. They provide an ambitious curriculum, to help prepare them for their next stages in learning.

For example, as children progress through the nursery, staff support them to become increasingly independent with their perso...nal care. Older children confidently manage tasks, such as wiping their noses and putting on their coats, which will be useful when they start school. Overall, staff support children's behaviour effectively.

They are positive role models and teach children to be kind and respectful towards others. Staff foster children's learning through their interests and the things that they enjoy, which ignites children's eagerness to learn. They become deeply engaged in their play and consistently build on what they know and can do.

For example, babies show high levels of curiosity and concentration as they explore the texture of cooked spaghetti. They develop greater control over their movements as they transfer pieces into containers using their fingers and spoons.

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

Staff monitor children's progress across all areas of their learning.

They provide targeted support, to help close any identified gaps. This includes sharing information with parents and with other professionals, where needed. Leaders ensure that additional funding is used effectively.

For instance, they have set up a sensory room with coloured lights and textured materials. This helps children to be calm and focus, ready for learning. The effective partnership working helps all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good progress from their starting points.

Staff support children to develop their mathematical skills well. They plan activities that enable children to explore concepts, such as shapes and numbers. This is reflected in older children's interest and knowledge of mathematics.

For example, children skilfully join magnetic shapes to create imaginative models, such as a hat for the inspector. They think carefully about the best shapes to use and consider whether triangles or pentagons will work better. Children understand that they must insert more shapes to make the hat bigger and are delighted when it fits.

There is a good focus on supporting children's communication skills. Staff read, sing and talk to children throughout the day to help them learn new words. They plan group activities, such as circle times for older children, which encourage them to practise speaking and listening.

However, staff do not always ensure that these sessions are engaging enough to sustain all children's interest. Therefore, some children become distracted and do not benefit from the learning opportunities.In general, staff support children to behave well.

They encourage them to take turns and consider the feelings of others, which helps children to develop friendships and play together nicely. Staff use some effective methods to manage unwanted behaviour, such as distracting children if they start to run around indoors. However, staff are not consistent in explaining their expectations to children.

Therefore, children are not always clear about what they can and cannot do in the setting.Children have plenty of opportunities to be physically active. This includes daily outdoor play.

They enjoy running, climbing and balancing, which helps to develop their strength and coordination. Children enjoy the nutritious meals and snacks provided. They learn about healthy life choices as staff encourage them to eat their 'veggies' and talk about foods that are good for their bodies.

Staff describe an open and supportive environment with lots of opportunities for training and professional development. They have regular supervision sessions, which helps them to feel valued and to work towards professional goals, such as gaining a childcare qualification or learning more about SEND.Parents are happy to share their positive views of the nursery.

They say their children love the staff and are always happy to attend. Parents value staff's advice and support, which helps them to continue children's learning at home. They describe children's progress since joining the nursery, particularly how their self-confidence and speech have improved.

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: refine group activities, such as circle time, to maintain the interest and engagement of all children support staff to manage children's behaviour in clear and consistent ways, to help children to understand what is expected and begin to moderate their behaviour.