The Orange Tree Day Nursery @ Burnaston

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff create a welcoming and stimulating environment that helps children settle quickly on arrival at this nursery. They implement a curriculum to help children engage in activities and build on their overall skills, both inside and outside.

For example, staff who work with babies ensure there is plenty of space for them to move around safely as they practise their walking and balancing skills.Staff make sure children's language development is supported well throughout the nursery. Babies practise repeating words and sounds during spontaneous play and as staff read books and sing songs with them.

Babies particularly en...joy shaking musical instruments. Staff repeat the word 'shake' to extend their range of vocabulary. Staff who work with toddlers encourage them to learn the names of animals and repeat the sounds they make.

Toddlers repeat the word 'pop' when exploring bubbles. Staff engage in conversation with older children. During lunchtime, children confidently recall new words they have learned, such as 'enormous' and 'tiny' when comparing objects outside.

Staff are good role models for children. They make sure children understand what is expected of them. Children follow staff's expectations, such as when learning to share toys and taking turns during play.

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

The management team and staff work closely with parents to ensure this partnership is effective. Parents comment on how well they are kept up to date about their child's progress and experiences throughout the day. They have noticed how well their child is progressing in their overall development since starting the nursery.

Staff make sure children's self-esteem and confidence grow during their time at the nursery. They praise children for their achievements and good behaviour. Staff help children to recognise their own feelings when playing with their friends.

They read stories about what each feeling means through colours as one way to help children gently explore their emotions safely.The management team prioritises staff well-being and creates a supportive workplace for its employees. It regularly monitors staff practice through a variety of strategies, such as during team meetings and supervision sessions.

However, support and coaching to help improve some staff's teaching skills and further their professional development are still in their infancy. Consequently, not all children receive the same high levels of interaction and engagement from staff to support them in learning as much as they can.Staff ensure that children's health is promoted well throughout the nursery.

They make sure children spend plenty of time outside in the fresh air. Children explore a wide range of activities and experiences to enhance their all-round development. For example, children use their imagination to create transient art designs and freely express themselves using a variety of natural resources.

Staff plan activities to build on the interests of children and what they enjoy playing with. However, staff do not always give enough consideration to what they want each child to learn next. This means that sometimes activities are not tailored to individual children's next steps in their learning.

As a result, activities and experiences do not always enhance children's learning and development.Staff encourage children to develop their independence skills well. Older children confidently manage their self-care needs.

They use tongs and serving spoons to pick up food and place it on their plates. Younger children learn how to feed themselves using forks and spoons. Babies learn to use non-spill cups and to feed themselves with their fingers, such as when eating fresh fruit at snack time.

Children's mathematical skills are supported well throughout the nursery. For example, staff in the toddler room read stories to children about animals of different sizes. They help the children understand the difference between tall and small.

Children enthusiastically carry out actions as they demonstrate how to be tall and then a small animal.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Children are supervised closely by staff who ensure ratios are safely maintained.

Staff deploy themselves well to promote children's safety. For example, they remain in the room and monitor sleeping babies and young children, and they regularly check on babies who sleep outside in prams. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are to protect children from harm.

They regularly complete child protection training. This helps to keep their knowledge of all aspects of safeguarding practice up to date, including recognising the signs that a child may be at risk of being radicalised.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the ongoing coaching and support for staff to further develop their interaction with children and overall teaching skills help staff to tailor and plan more precise activities and experiences to support each child's individual next steps in learning.