The Arches Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Warm and enthusiastic staff welcome children into this warm and caring setting as they rush in to play with the well-resourced learning environment. Children talk to staff about their morning as they explore what is on offer. Babies and young children clearly feel safe, secure and confident at the nursery.

They seek out staff for comfort or support if they feel unsure, but they are mostly confident to carry out tasks independently and play with their peers. Staff are very caring and provide a calm, reassuring approach for children. They focus on nurturing children's well-being and encourage them to share and play cooperatively....

Children's behaviour is good. They treat their environment and toys with respect and interact positively with each other and staff. Staff help children to learn about their emotions through a variety of techniques to regulate and manage their feelings and behaviours in the 'calm corner'.

Staff have clear expectations and support all children to achieve through their play. Overall, they provide an ambitious and broad curriculum that promotes children's learning and helps them make good progress. For example, children are creative and thoroughly enjoy sticking a range of materials, such as dried leaves and twigs, onto paper to create a collage.

Staff support babies to enjoy rhyme times. Babies join in while shaking sensory bottles to their favourite songs. Staff model mathematical and scientific language.

They provide lots of opportunities for toddlers to practise counting, number recognition, shape recognition and distance, such as pointing out simple numbers on train timetables, talking about the weather and making rain clouds using coloured inks and shaving foam. This helps children to develop a broad understanding of the world and gain the positive attitudes to learning that they need to succeed.

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

Leaders have an ambitious vision for the care and education they want to provide for all children.

They are reflective, proactive and strive to make changes to any areas they identify for development. There is a culture of constant improvement in the setting. All staff share a strong commitment to provide the best possible care and education for all children.

Leaders have high expectations of staff and the children. Staff have regular opportunities to access training and identify areas for development. Staff know the children very well and can clearly describe what they want children to learn.

However, on occasion, during small-group led activities, the curriculum planned for older children is too challenging. It is not yet sequenced precisely enough to ensure that the skills towards achieving an end goal are securely embedded in a step-by-step way.Staff focus very well on communication and language development across all ages.

They help children to develop good language skills in their home language and in English. For instance, staff model language of size, number and colour as children stir, cut apples, mushrooms and potatoes with a whisk and pretend to make soup. Toddlers tell staff they are making a 'mushroom soup'.

Toddlers begin to use numbers for a purpose as they say, 'The soup needs five minutes to cook.' In addition, there are regular opportunities for children to listen to stories, both indoors and outdoors. The use of basic signs, visual aids and props helps children to learn and build on their understanding and listening skills.

Children develop a love for early reading.Routines are exceedingly well embedded, and children understand the high expectations of them. For instance, babies and toddlers are encouraged to take off their shoes and coats and place them on their pegs.

Children are very independent throughout the day. For example, babies tidy away toys and use beakers and feed themselves confidently. Staff encourage older children to wash their own hands, help set up tables for meals, clear away plates and wipe up tables after meals.

Children behave very well. Staff use positive reinforcement effectively with babies and young children and encourage them to discuss their feelings. Children benefit from the praise staff give them.

Children gain confidence and build secure relationships with staff and their friends. They gain a clear sense of self-worth and feel valued and welcomed in the nursery.Staff focus on healthy eating, cooking and baking, planting and growing produce, movement and having time outside in the fresh air.

For example, children enjoy going on nature walks, feeding the ducks and completing obstacle courses in the garden.Supporting parents with home learning is given the utmost priority. Staff provide parents with personal handovers about their child's day and share their learning and development progress via an online app.

Parents are invited to spend time in the nursery, having breakfast and reading stories with their children. This is a successful process that is being cascaded to all children and their families. Parents speak very highly about staff and the setting.

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 the curriculum to ensure it is well planned and sequenced to build on older children's existing knowledge and skills.