The Haven

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children clearly show they feel safe and happy at The Haven.

They settle in quickly to explore, play and learn. Children form strong bonds with their key person. Children seek out their familiar adults for comfort.

They enthusiastically share their discoveries and achievements with the staff. Children obviously enjoy spending time with the attentive and caring staff. All children have the same chances, experiences and opportunities at the nursery.

They enjoy a good range of activities, such as role playing shops and taking part in lively singing sessions. Children are confident and independent. They collect th...eir own plates and cutlery for meals, self-serve their own drinks and tidy away at the end of the meal.

Children enjoy helping to weigh and measure ingredients to make pizzas and gingerbread men, which they take home to share with their families. Children are purposeful learners. They happily follow requests and instructions and display positive attitudes to each other and their learning.

However, at times, children wait unnecessarily for staff before they can go outdoors or complete activities. The time children spend in the nursery is not always effectively used. Staff, on occasions, do not fully support and extend children's learning to the highest levels.

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

Staff know what their key children like to play with and how they like to learn. They use this knowledge to plan engaging activities to help children develop and achieve the next steps in their learning. Older children enjoy making shopping lists and using scissors in the role-play shop.

This supports their early writing skills well. Younger children watch cars and buses from the window. Staff enthusiastically chat to them about the traffic they can see and help children to learn new words.

Staff support children's interests and fascinations well.Children enjoy playing in the inviting indoor learning environments that staff provide. They take part in weekly cooking activities, engaging story times and outings to the local area.

Children learn about the diversity of the wider world and share celebrations together. Staff clearly model good manners for children. They have high expectations for positive behaviour and children behave well.

Staff support children to make choices and decisions. They ask children what they would like to drink and which snacks they would like to eat. However, at times, staff do not support children's learning fully.

They do not make the most of learning opportunities that arise as children play.Staff help children to form friendships across the nursery. All children enjoy playing together in the inviting rooftop outdoor space.

However, organisation of daily routines means that, at times, children do not spend as much time in the fresh air as they could. Occasionally, staff leave children to sit and wait while they collect resources before completing activities. Staff do not always make the best possible use of children's learning time in the nursery.

Staff use additional funding effectively to help close gaps in children's learning and life experiences. Children learning English as an additional language and those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported effectively to make good progress in their learning and development.Parents report that staff keep them very well informed of what their children do at the nursery.

Staff work well with other professionals involved with children. This ensures very high levels of consistency in children's care and learning.The manager has a secure understanding of the staff team and their needs.

She regularly monitors the quality of staff practice to help her identify where staff need additional support or further training. Staff report their well-being and welfare is considered and that the manager is very supportive. Staff morale is high and they enjoy their roles within the nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff attend regular training and take part in monthly staff discussions about safeguarding. They understand their role in keeping children safe at all times.

Staff know the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about children, their parents or another member of staff. Recruitment procedures are robust. The manager regularly checks staff are suitable to work with children.

Staff make effective use of risk assessments. This helps them to identify and minimise any hazards in the learning environments to ensure they are safe for children to play and learn in.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review organisation of daily routines to make the most of children's learning time in the nursery help staff to develop the quality of their teaching further to ensure all children acquire the skills they need to move on to the next stage in their education.