The Chase Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Happy, smiling children enter the nursery with their parents and are warmly welcomed by the staff team. Children enthusiastically put their belongings on their named peg and register their attendance by placing their name in the postbox. They immediately become engrossed in enjoyable, exciting and purposeful play.

From the moment children begin their nursery day they appear happy, safe and settled. Children who are new to the nursery are given superb support to help them to feel part of the 'Chase family'. They receive cuddles from their key person, who reassures and comforts them.

Children behave exceptionally ...well. They show respect for each other and do kind things for their friends. Their kindness is rewarded through the presentation of certificates and by being awarded the 'kindness cup' for showing care and consideration over that week.

Children receive excellent support. They generally have the same key person throughout their nursery life. This helps the key person to form extremely strong bonds with the children and their families.

Children make exceptional progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. Key persons use the extensive knowledge they have about each child to plan challenging and stimulating experiences that are tailored to their individual learning needs and styles.

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

The manager and deputy lead the nursery with extreme confidence and professionalism.

They spend much of their day working directly with the staff and children. This helps them to develop a secure knowledge of the children, their families and the staff team. The manager holds frequent supervision meetings with each member of staff, where they review any training needs and discuss working practices.

Staff comment that they feel extremely well supported and happy in their job.Children express their creative nature. For example, they construct people and other models from potatoes and pieces of fruit and vegetables.

They proficiently cut the food to the size and shape of their choice. Staff are on hand at all times to support them. For example, they model how to use the knives and show the children how to cut the food safely.

Children have fun being the 'snack-shop server' at snack time. They wear a lanyard to show their role and stand behind the snack trolley. They choose a child at a time to come to the shop and select from a range of fruit and vegetables.

Staff expertly help them to develop their language skills, for example, by encouraging them to discuss their snack purchase with each other. Staff introduce new words and give clear explanations to help children to consolidate their thinking.Staff plan inspirational activities for the children and present resources in an exciting way.

For example, a map of the local area, including the nursery, shops and the beach is drawn on the paved area in the garden with chalk. Children dig for bones in the sandpit, in line with their theme of bodies and 'all about me'. Children brush yellow paint from teeth made from pink and white bricks, and use a two-minute timer to demonstrate the length of time they should be brushing their teeth at home.

Children have excellent opportunities to learn about the local and wider communities. They go for regular walks in the local area, for example, to use the nursery's beach hut or to post letters at the postbox. They have links with a nursery in Scotland and write letters to their friends there.

Children know when it has been snowing in Scotland as their friends share this information with them.Parents speak extremely positively of the staff, managers and provider. They comment on how well their children are cared for and the extensive range of activities they participate in.

Many state that their children love coming to the nursery and that they cannot fault it. Parents say that managers are always available to speak to if they have any concerns, such as to discuss available funding or additional support for their child.Children have fun in the well-presented and exciting nursery garden.

They climb on the climbing structure and proficiently throw and catch balls. They scoot on ride-on toys around the designated area, stopping to let their friends have a go when they have been waiting.Children remain extremely focused and engaged when listening to stories.

They excitedly join in with familiar lines, such as the wolf blowing the little pig's house down. Staff encourage children to talk about what materials their own houses are made from, which they enthusiastically do. They take time to allow children to share experiences from home with their friends, encouraging them to retell stories as well as sharing new ones.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers and staff are highly skilled at recognising the types of abuse and the known indicators that might suggest that a child's safety or welfare is being compromised. They frequently update their safeguarding knowledge, for example, through training and research.

They demonstrate robust knowledge of how to refer any safeguarding concerns to the appropriate authority for investigation. The provider follows her rigorous vetting procedures when employing new staff to help her to ensure that all adults working with children are suitable. The manager has effective arrangements for reviewing all the ongoing suitability of all staff through her regular and thorough supervision meetings.