The Olive Tree Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happily and ready to learn. They behave well and have a good attitude to learning.

They make decisions about their play, such as babies exploring the green spaghetti with confidence. Children relish the responsibility of small tasks, such as using the dustpan and brush to clear the rice from the floor. Children gain high levels of self-esteem.

Children benefit from a well-designed curriculum, which provides them with a broad and balanced range of experiences. For example, older toddlers construct well with different coloured magnetic shapes as staff help them to explore the nursery 'colour and shape' to...pic. Children respond well to staff's questions and listen to new vocabulary, using it later in their play.

Children enjoy the positive interactions from staff to help them build on their knowledge.Older children thoroughly enjoy sharing stories. They recall what has happened and predict what might happen next.

They join in with familiar phrases and participate in the actions, such as looking through a telescope. Children, including children with English as an additional language, develop good communication and language skills. They respond well to questions and comment how 'Timothy', the character in the story, might feel.

They talk about how they might catch the shark and listen to each other's ideas.

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

Leaders and managers design a well-thought-out curriculum, which meets children's individual learning needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff implement the curriculum well, focusing on children's interests and what they need to learn next.

On occasion, small group activities are not as well planned as they could be and intended learning is not fully achieved. For example, younger toddlers lose focus and become overwhelmed with too many resources.Staff use regular observations and reflection weeks well, where they concentrate on individual children's learning, in order to assess children's progress.

They quickly identify any gaps in children's learning and obtain support from the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). The SENCo has good knowledge of her role and responsibility. She works closely with staff, parents and other professionals to enable children to reach their full potential.

Staff create engaging learning environments that encourage children's sensory explorations and investigations. Staff constantly reflect on the space used by children and explore better ways of enticing children to learn, especially in the large outdoor area. Staff working with the very young babies explore different ways to provide a safe space for 'tummy time' to help babies gain core strength.

Staff have provided a wigwam in the outdoor area to support toddlers' and older children's love of role play. This has encouraged children to explore their imaginations and encouraged further speech and language.At times, staff do not fully consider the acoustics within the room.

For example, when older children decide not to sit for a story and continue to be jumping beans, staff do not consider the noise level and how this distracts other children from being able to listen intently.Babies and toddlers form strong relationships with their key person. There is a strong focus on meeting children's emotional needs.

Babies and toddlers receive regular cuddles and reassurance when new people visit their room. There are effective arrangements to ensure that children moving between the baby room and the toddler room are successfully supported in being confident and ready to join the larger room.Staff meet children's care needs successfully.

Staff deal sensitively with any toilet accidents and provide gentle reminders throughout the day to visit the toilet. Staff are respectful when they change children's nappies and provide ongoing commentary to engage children in the process. Children gain good independence.

For example, older children dress themselves for physical education and outdoor play, and learn to wipe their own noses and wash their hands.Staff work closely with parents to gather essential information when children start. This is regularly reviewed, especially when children move rooms.

Parents value the dedicated staff team and the daily communication they receive about their children's care and learning.Staff are well supported by a knowledgeable leadership and management team. There are good opportunities for professional development to raise the quality of teaching and interactions.

Following recent training, staff in the baby room have made musical instruments more accessible for children to reach independently. This has encouraged spontaneous singing to develop further babies' speech and language skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) has a good understanding of how to keep children safe. She works closely with other agencies and parents to protect children and to share information promptly. Leaders, managers and staff attend regular training, and leaders check staff knowledge frequently.

All staff have a good understanding of the possible signs that a child might be a risk of harm. They understand the procedure to follow, including if a concern is made about a member of staff or the leadership team. Staff use their risk assessments well to provide children with a safe and secure environment.

Staff implement well-understood procedures to ensure that only known and authorised adults collect children. There are robust recruitment and induction arrangements to ensure that suitable adults care for children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop further the organisation of small group time to ensure that younger toddlers remain engaged in their learning consider noise levels and distractions to help older children listen and concentrate in quieter activities.