The Old School House Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children, generally, develop a positive attitude towards learning and make good progress from their starting points. They arrive full of excitement and enthusiasm, eager to play and spend time with their friends. They focus well during activities and gain a range of skills and attitudes in readiness for their future learning, including school.

Children thrive outdoors, where they spend a high proportion of their day. They take part in a wide variety of activities that helps to develop their early mathematics and literacy skills. They measure sticks and record the shapes they find outdoors on clipboards.

Children count ...the spider's legs and compare sizes before exploring books placed nearby.Babies demonstrate that they are emotionally secure in the care of the staff, as they smile and regularly snuggle up to staff for cuddles. Children are kind and look out for each other.

For example, a child helps a friend to put on their coat when they see them struggle. Children show high levels of confidence and independence as they take responsibility for their own belongings, such as their own coats and wellington boots, throughout the day. Children behave well and appropriate support is provided to ensure they follow and understand the boundaries set.

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

The environment is stimulating, vibrant and well resourced. Children are cared for by enthusiastic, nurturing staff, who respond quickly to their physical and emotional needs. Children's behaviour is managed well.

Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. They closely monitor the learning and development of each child. They have a clear intent about what they want each child to learn next and provide an interesting and varied range of learning opportunities.

However, staff do not consistently offer opportunities for children to develop their understanding of diversity and the wider world beyond their immediate family.Staff support children to develop excellent physical skills. Children use their bodies in different ways with growing skill and confidence.

They climb trees, build dens, balance on logs and use a range of real-life tools during creative activities. Children use their small-muscle skills as they groom visiting ponies and clip bows onto their coats. Staff are aware that children must develop their physical skills before they can learn to hold a pencil correctly and write.

Children are independent as staff teach them to learn to do things for themselves. They are supported to learn about the impact food and exercise has on their bodies and why they need to develop a daily teeth-cleaning regime.Children's early communication skills are promoted well.

Staff help children to build sentences and pronounce words correctly. They introduce new words, such as 'vertical' and horizontal'.Two-year-old children enjoy their morning music session.

They sing enthusiastically and take turns choosing the next song. However, occasionally, staff do not take account of the space available when planning these whole-group activities, so children cannot always fully engage and so lose some enthusiasm during the activity.Staff promote children's early literacy skills.

They read with good intonation. They ask questions about stories to encourage the children to use their thinking skills. Children learn to recognise and write letters in their name.

Staff provide good opportunities for children to learn about the natural world. Children care for the nursery's chickens and collect their eggs.Parents speak highly of the staff.

Staff have established an effective two-way flow of information about children's learning with parents.The manager monitors the curriculum and children's learning effectively. Where gaps are identified, the manager acts swiftly.

The quality of teaching is monitored through regular observations of staff's practice.The well-being of the staff is very important to the management team, and staff say they feel well supported. They receive regular relevant training, to promote children's needs, as well as helpful feedback on their practice.

Regular evaluation of the nursery takes account of the views of children, parents and staff. The manager has an accurate view of where improvements can be made.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager has robust recruitment, vetting and induction procedures in place to help to ensure that those working with children are suitable to do so. Leaders and staff have a comprehensive understanding of the possible signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm and know when and where to refer a concern. Children help to carry out safety checks with staff, which helps them to learn about managing their own risks.

The provider complies with required staff-to-child ratios at all times. The children are supervised well.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nincrease opportunities to enhance children's learning and understanding of diversity and equal opportunities review the organisation of the learning environment to help make sure that there is enough space for children to participate fully in activities.