The Winning Child Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enter happy and ready to begin their day. They leave their parents with confidence and seek their key person on arrival. Children are provided with an environment that meets their needs.

For example, the younger children enjoy practising their physical skills as they climb with purpose to get to the slide. The older children emerge themselves in imaginative play. They show great levels of maturity as they interact and revisit past experiences, such as what they do at home and at the shops.

Children communicate effectively through spoken word, gestures and the use of pictures. For instance, non-verbal children ...can use pictures to express their wants and emotions to others, such as when they need the toilet or want a specific toy. Children learn to develop a love of stories and songs.

Staff regularly sing to children as they play. For example, as babies explore the wheels on toys, staff sing 'The Wheels on the Bus'. The babies sing along and bounce in excitement.

Children get plenty of opportunities to explore their physical development. In the garden, they run and climb with excitement. Children enjoy exploring the sandpit and rolling hoops across the playground with their friends.

Babies show confidence outside as they play on the see-saw and learn to scoot. The attached forest school also provides further opportunities for children to explore nature and develop their curiosity for the natural world around them.

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

Staff have developed an effective curriculum that meets the needs of all the children.

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is effective in identifying and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Plans are put into place quickly to ensure that children are making progress. The SENCo works well with outside agencies to provide ongoing support to staff, children and parents.

Transitions are planned well. Children are provided with the time and reassurance from their key person before moving to the next room. This ensures that children are emotionally ready and prepared.

Staff complete a thorough handover with their new key person so children continue to have their needs met. When children are leaving to start school, the manager contacts teachers to come and meet the children. This provides children with the opportunity to meet their new teacher in an environment where they feel confident and secure.

Children generally behave well. They are kind and caring towards their friends. However, staff working with the older children are not consistent in their approach.

For instance, children who are newer to the setting are not provided with the support they need to learn the rules and boundaries. This can at times disrupt the flow of the day and children's concentration at activities.Parents and carers feel happy sending their children to the setting.

They comment on how keen their children are to attend. Parents feel listened to and have their ideas taken into consideration. For example, since the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have preferred to continue dropping off their children at the door.

Parents are provided with information that helps them understand what their children's next steps are to support learning opportunities at home.Staff encourage children to be independent in their routines, including putting their coats on to go outside and knowing when and how to wash their hands. However, some parts of the daily routines are not organised as well as possible to support children's independence fully.

For example, staff do not use snack time effectively to help promote children's independence skills. This can limit what children can do for themselves, even though they are capable.Leaders know the staff well.

They have regular meetings with all staff to discuss their well-being and the setting. This provides staff with an opportunity to reflect on their practice. Managers are keen to upskill staff.

They provide opportunities for them to train for higher qualifications or undertake training to support them in their role.Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about themselves and others. For example, children in the 'tots' room' compare how their hair feels to others.

They use vocabulary to describe the texture and look of others' hair. Children are kind and considerate in their approach, offering compliments to each other such as 'Your hair is big and bouncy with pretty clips.'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff have a secure understanding of their duty to protect the children in their care. They have regular training opportunities to broaden and extend their knowledge of child protection, including the 'Prevent' duty, female genital mutilation and racism. Leaders ensure that they undertake suitable training as the designated leads for the setting.

Managers know their local area well and can highlight risks to children, such as county lines. They are confident about the steps to take if there was an allegation about a staff member. The setting is safe and secure.

Risk assessments of the whole provision are completed daily. Visitors are asked to show identification and sign into the building.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to provide a more consistent approach to behaviour management of the pre-school children so they all understand the rules and know what is expected of them build further on opportunities for older children to learn how to do things for themselves and consistently promote their independence skills during snack times.