The Den Nursery Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children show that they are very happy at the nursery.

Friendly, welcoming staff support them to separate from their parents at the door. Children rush to the main room, hang their coats up and stack their lunch boxes before eagerly joining their friends to play and explore. They settle well and quickly become engrossed in the activities set out for them.

Children and staff share positive relationships, and this helps children to feel safe. Staff have high expectations of children and, consequently, children's behaviour is good. Positive interactions with staff contribute to children's learning and support them to unde...rstand and manage their own behaviour.

Children are learning to be kind to one another. Staff offer gentle reminders to help children share, wait and to take turns. For instance, children work together to re-tell the 'Gingerbread Man' story, and understand how to share resources, take turns and make space so their friends can join in.

Children are encouraged to become independent and to manage their own self-care. They visit the 'snuffle station' to blow their own nose, and know to put their tissue in the bin and to wash their hands. Children talk to staff about why they should cough into their elbow and know that this helps to prevent germs spreading.

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

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the nursery. They comment that staff offer supportive advice and feedback about their children's development. Parents attribute children's social development and their growing confidence to the experiences they have at the nursery.

They are confident that their children are safe and well cared for.Staff understand that children have different home experiences and that some may not have access to outside spaces or use community resources such as the library. Therefore, they plan for children to play outside every day and arrange regular visits to the local park and library.

Staff encourage parents to go with them to the library and support them to become library members.Staff encourage children's independence. They help children to extend what they can already do, which helps them to develop new skills.

For instance, children, including the very youngest, learn to pour drinks and cut their own fruit and vegetables for snack.Children are supported to be healthy and to look after their bodies. They are encouraged to be physically active.

Children run and climb and participate in exercise sessions. Outdoors, they practise balancing and learn how to do jumping jacks and lunges. Indoors, they practise mindful breathing and yoga.

Staff join in with the children and are good role models.The manager spends time with the children and understands their needs and the development needs of the nursery. The manager and staff share positive relationships.

Staff say that the nursery is a happy place to work. The manager observes staff's interactions with children and provides them with purposeful feedback, which encourages them to develop their practice.Staff work well with parents of children who speak English as an additional language and with external agencies, such as speech and language therapists, to develop appropriate plans to support children's learning.

However, because staff talk to children mainly in their home language, English is not always embedded for children to hear and learn.Staff develop a well-considered curriculum that supports learning. Children engage well with activities that they choose to do.

They work well together to follow a dough recipe, carefully measuring the ingredients. Sometimes staff intervene too quickly, and this stalls children's curiosity. For example, rather than encouraging the children to problem-solve when their dough becomes sticky, staff add more flour and finish mixing the dough for them.

Staff encourage children to broaden their knowledge about things that interest them. Children have shown an interest in dens and caves and have been learning about animals and their habitats. They explore how to use magnifying glasses and torches in their den.

Children learn how to turn the torch on and off, and play with the light it makes and the shadows it creates on the ceiling.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and the signs and symptoms of abuse.

They know how to record and report any concerns to the designated safeguarding lead for the nursery. Staff are required to complete regular training to ensure their knowledge of safeguarding issues remains up to date. The manager and staff complete effective daily risk assessments in the nursery.

The premises are very secure and well maintained, which contributes to keeping children safe. The manager employs a robust process to ensure all staff have been appropriately checked and vetted, and remain suitable to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to broaden their use of the English language when they are communicating with children, to ensure that children have sufficient opportunities to hear and learn spoken English strengthen support for staff to focus on developing their teaching practices to a higher level.