Sunflower Maunds

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children do not receive a high-quality education due to weaknesses in the provider's knowledge and skills. The provider has failed to design an effective curriculum or ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to support children in their learning. As a result, staff do not consistently implement a curriculum that is focused on children's needs and next steps in learning.

Staff are polite and kind towards the children, but their interactions do not stimulate curiosity, interest, or excitement. This limits the opportunities that children, including those with funded places and those with special educational needs an...d/or disabilities, have to make good progress in their learning.Despite this, children are confident and happy in the setting and behave well.

Staff have implemented strategies to help the children share with one another. This helps the children form friendships and play harmoniously with each other. Children are kind, considerate, and polite to one another.

Staff offer comfort to children when needed and children are confident to seek staff out if they need support or reassurance. Staff know the children well and this ensures they recognise when a child may not be well and can, therefore, act accordingly in the best interests of the child.

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

The manager is reflective and aware that improvements need to be made to the setting.

She has considered how to do this and has ideas she wants to implement. However, these ideas are yet to be put into practice. As a result, the setting has not embedded the recommendations from the previous inspection or made positive progress.

The provider does not have a secure understanding of how children develop and learn. They have not ensured that staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how to assess and plan for children's individual learning needs. This means children do not benefit from a curriculum that is tailored to their individual learning needs.

Staff do not plan purposeful and sequential learning opportunities for children to help them build on what they already know and can do. Children show an interest in the activities on offer and remain engaged in them for periods of time. However, these activities are not designed with children's next steps in mind.

This means that learning is incidental rather than purposefully planned to build on children's skills and knowledge over time. This does not help all children reach their full potential.Staff provide basic information when children play and ask them simple questions.

However, they do not regularly model a wide range of vocabulary or use effective questions to encourage children's critical thinking. This is despite the manager recognising that some of the children require additional support with their communication and language skills. Staff interactions do not offer children appropriate support and challenge to extend their learning and move them to the next level of their development.

As a result, children are not making the best possible progress.The provider can identify areas for improvement in staff practice. However, her arrangements for the supervision and coaching of staff are not yet effective.

As a result, areas for development are not effectively communicated to the staff. They are not being appropriately supported to make the improvements needed to raise the quality of teaching to a higher level. This hinders children's progress.

Children's independence is promoted. Children are taught skills such as nose wiping and finding and putting their own wellington boots on. The manager has plans to extend this further by allowing children to be more independent at mealtimes.

The environment is set up so the children can self-select toys and resources they would like to access throughout the day. As a result, children show good levels of independence and confidence.Staff form positive partnerships with parents who are happy with the setting.

Parents report their children are happy to come to the nursery. They feel the communication at the nursery is effective. They are kept informed of matters regarding their children.

They are given support when needed. For example, staff support parents when children are potty training.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff team understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. They know the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child's well-being. They know how to report concerns to an appropriate professional.

Staff are aware of safeguarding issues, such as female genital mutilation and county lines. Children are well supervised, in both the indoor and outdoor environment, to ensure they are safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date ensure there is an ambitious curriculum based on children's learning and development needs that is implemented through planned, purposeful activities and experiences 30/11/2023 strengthen the quality of staff interactions and teaching to ensure children have appropriate support and challenge that promotes and extends their learning 30/11/2023 provide effective supervision, training and support to ensure staff have the necessary skills to carry out their roles effectively.

30/11/2023