The De Lacey Day Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children eagerly come into nursery and quickly engage in play with their friends. Staff offer a warm welcome to children and exchange useful information with parents. Children know who to go to for support and reassurance.

The caring staff support children's emotional well-being. Children feel safe and secure due to the calm and nurturing environment the staff provide. Staff have high expectations of what every child can achieve.

Children are motivated to learn and confidently explore the interesting resources. They know they can freely choose where, and with what, they want to play. Children play alongside each other ...and staff encourage them to be creative.

For example, children mix colours and make marks and patterns to create a large piece of artwork using paint and paper. Children learn to tend to their own personal needs with gentle encouragement. For example, younger children decide whether to use the toilet or potty.

Older children put on their coats before going to play outside and use mirrors to help them wipe their own noses. Staff give children plenty of time to finish these tasks, which contributes to children's growing self-confidence and independence.

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

Children's communication and language development is a particular strength of the setting.

Staff introduce new words to children, such as 'stretchy' and 'slimy', to help them to extend their vocabulary. Older children learn about quantities at snack time, discussing the difference in size between smaller and larger fruits. Children talk about their experiences at home.

Staff listen attentively and build on these conversations.Staff encourage children to experiment. For example, children filled different-sized bottles with water and saw how much time it took to pour the water out; and they tried different citrus fruits during a fruit-tasting activity and enjoyed learning about those that tasted sweet or sour.

However, on occasion, staff do not consider how they can challenge older children to build on their knowledge through the questions that they ask.Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They know their key children well.

Staff evaluate effectively the impact of the activities on children's progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. All children make good progress from their starting points.Parents speak positively about the nursery and how their children settled in.

They explain that staff are friendly and helpful. Parents feel their children are supported individually, which helps them be ready for school.The manager has high expectations for all children.

Comprehensive self-evaluation, informed by the views of staff and parents and assessments of children's progress, helps to identify any weaknesses and areas for development. This leads to continuous improvement.The manager completes regular supervision sessions with staff, which includes talking about staff's strengths and weaknesses and what action to take to improve their practice.

The manager is aware that less experienced staff could benefit from further coaching and training to improve their teaching to a higher level.Children enjoy playing outdoors, where they have many opportunities to develop their physical skills. Children enjoy throwing bean bags into hoops and old car tyres.

They dance and use coloured ribbon to depict the wipers of a bus when they sing a familiar song.Staff are good role models and support children to understand the rules and expectations for their behaviour. Children receive constant encouragement and praise when they attempt to do things for themselves.

Children behave well because they know what is expected of them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager has developed a clear recruitment and induction process to ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

There are good arrangements to ensure the premises are secure and staff release children to a known and authorised adult. Staff know the process to follow if they have any concerns about a child. For example, they monitor carefully any child who comes to the setting with an injury.

Where there are any concerns, these are reported to the appropriate agencies without delay. Staff have an up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the 'Prevent' duty guidance and are clear on reporting requirements to keep children safe from radicalisation.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove staff's questioning skills so that all children can build on what they already know and think carefully about their answers nidentify professional development opportunities for new and less experienced staff to raise the quality of teaching to an even higher standard.