The Hackney Day Nursery and Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled at nursery.

They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure as they enjoy cuddles and positive interactions with their key person. Babies form secure emotional attachments as they are held close when they are fed bottles of milk. They awake from sleep with smiles, as their key person is close by to support them.

Children are confident to engage in both planned and self-initiated learning experiences. For example, older children are excited to learn and confidently practise Spanish words, such as for their nose, mouth and eyes, as they sing along to action songs. Children are excited to ex...plore their outdoor learning environment.

They develop physical skills and coordination as they learn to ride trikes, balance on beams and crawl through tunnels. There is a focus on supporting children's knowledge and understanding of their natural environment. They learn to care for the plants and vegetables they have helped to grow.

Children's successful crops include a range of fruits, vegetables and herbs, all of which are picked and incorporated into their healthy meals and snacks.Children are developing polite behaviours. Staff are positive role models and quickly intervene when toddlers become frustrated, before their behaviour escalates.

The impact is that children listen and learn to develop friendships as they say, 'You are my best friend.' Staff plan effectively to support children's emotional skills. They encourage kindness and patience and support children to understand strong feelings through reading books and planning activities to support them in developing empathy.

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

The manager is a reflective practitioner. She has high expectations for staff in delivering a broad and exciting curriculum for children. Managers develop their staff team through coaching, support and professional training opportunities.

They spend time in the rooms, monitoring practice. The manager operates an open-door policy so that staff can always seek support and guidance. This is echoed by staff, who state that they feel well supported by the management team.

Staff report that they are very happy in their work.Children are making good progress. This is because staff know their key children well.

They know about children's interests and are clear about the next steps that are needed to support their progression. Staff say they value working with parents to support children's individual care and learning needs.Children confidently access their enabling environments.

They enjoy creative learning experiences as they mix water and food colouring with cornflour. Babies are excited to play with water as they are encouraged to observe the floating boats. Staff are on hand to facilitate discussions and encourage children to explore the different textures they can feel.

Babies enjoy being sung to, as staff sing songs to link in with the water play learning experience.Staff promote children's communication and language through the enjoyment of stories and singing songs. Children's love of books is evident as they choose to explore books independently.

They delight in sharing books with friends as they laugh and talk about what they can see. They are confident to approach staff when they want a story read to them. These requests are quickly responded to.

Staff sit on the floor and immediately have a group of children wanting to listen.Children enjoy relaxed lunchtime routines. Older children develop independence skills as they confidently serve their own food.

Babies remain settled and happy as they sit in social groups. They too learn to feed themselves as staff sit close by and encourage their independence. All children eat well as they enjoy healthy and nutritious meals.

Babies are visibly excited as they listen to songs being sung in Spanish. They move their bodies to music and clearly love the sound of the guitar. Babies are able to point to the various parts of their bodies as they learn action rhymes.

However, their learning is interrupted, as staff focus on nappy changing routines rather than waiting for this learning experience to end.Parents report that they are very happy with the care and learning opportunities their children receive. They feel well informed about their children's progress and how to support their children's learning at home.

Parents value the close relationships developed with their children's key persons.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and managers follow secure recruitment and vetting procedures to help assess the suitability of staff.

These have continued to improve since the acquisition of the nursery. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of their role and responsibility to protect children from harm. They are confident to discuss the setting's whistle-blowing procedures.

Managers are clear about their responsibility for the oversight of safeguarding matters. They ensure that all staff attend regular training. Safeguarding discussions are held during staff supervision meetings.

Children are kept safe at nursery. Staff maintain regular risk assessments of the environment so that potential hazards can be removed or minimised.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of daily routines so that children's learning experiences are not disrupted.