The Old Station Nursery –Northfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are curious and enjoy taking part in a range of activities.

They make good progress in their learning and development through a broad, well-planned curriculum. Children build strong emotional attachments with their key person and will seek them out for cuddles and reassurance when needed. Staff know the children well and are attentive and sensitive to their individual needs.

Children have enjoyable opportunities to develop an understanding of the world around them. They take part in outings in the local community, such as visits to the library and the village church, which helps to enrich the curriculum and br...oaden children's experiences. Children learn about a variety of festivals and celebrations throughout the year.

They learn about what makes them unique and they celebrate their own cultures and beliefs, which helps children develop an awareness of diversity and life in modern Britain. Children have daily opportunities to play and exercise in the well-resourced and inviting garden. They develop their coordination and balance as they skilfully walk along wooden beams and confidently use climbing equipment.

Children develop their understanding of nature as they help to plant and grow herbs and plants. Older children learn to take care of the nursery's African snails and learn about habitats. Children are provided with a range of fruit and freshly cooked meals as part of a healthy balanced diet.

They follow good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating, and develop good independence skills. For example, babies learn to feed themselves with a spoon and older children pour their own drinks and serve their own food.

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

The newly appointed manager is passionate about providing children with the best possible education and care.

The area manager works closely with the manager to continually reflect on where improvements can be made to enrich children's learning experiences.The management team completes observations of staff's practice and offers ongoing feedback. However, the programme for professional development, coaching and mentoring staff is not always targeted as promptly as possible to raise the quality of practice to the highest level.

Partnerships with parents are strong. The management team and staff communicate well with families from the start. Parents receive regular updates and information about their children's progress and ongoing achievements.

Staff gather feedback from parents and involve them in all aspects of the nursery.Parents speak very positively about the kind and caring staff and the progress their children make.Staff observe children and use the information from their assessments to support their learning and development.

Staff plan interesting activities based on different topics and themes that incorporate children's next steps and interests.Staff skilfully support children's communication and language development. They engage children in meaningful conversations and use effective questioning techniques.

Staff support children to build their vocabulary by narrating their play. For example, babies and toddlers enjoy the sensory experience of water play. Staff introduce new words, such as 'splish' and 'splash'.

This helps children to associate vocabulary with their actions.Children of all ages are able to access books independently during free play. Older children use their imagination in the mud kitchen as they use dried oats, bowls and spoons to make pretend porridge, following on from a popular story about three bears.

Children delight when staff join in with their play and demonstrate good levels of recall when remembering different parts of the story.Staff weave some additional learning into conversations as children play, such as numbers and counting. Babies and toddlers enjoy singing counting songs and older children count how many spoons of oats they have added to their 'porridge'.

However, staff miss opportunities to build on older children's understanding of mathematical concepts, such as weight and capacity.Children's behaviour is good. They learn to share, take turns and use their manners.

Staff use a range of strategies to help children acknowledge and understand their emotions. For example, older children enjoy using the small muscles in their hands to model clay into faces that depict different emotions, such as happy or sad.The management team has established strong links with teachers from the local schools that children are due to attend.

It takes children to visit the school to become familiar with their new surroundings. The management team and staff also share information with teachers when children start school, which aids smooth transitions for children's future learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The management team and staff have a clear understanding of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of abuse. They are confident in the procedures to follow if they have concerns about the children in their care. The management team ensures that staff receive regular training about child protection and safeguarding issues.

Safer recruitment procedures are followed when employing new staff and appropriate inductions are undertaken. Staff carry out regular risk assessments to ensure that the premises are suitable and children are kept safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the monitoring of staff practice so that they receive prompt and targeted support to raise their practice to a consistently high level make better use of opportunities to build and extend children's understanding of mathematical concepts, such as weight and capacity.