Tops Day Nurseries - Corfe Mullen

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and keen to attend. Staff provide a warm welcome and the effective key-person system helps children to develop close and loving bonds with them.

Babies cuddle into their key persons and older children race in to hug and share news with their key persons. Staff provide respectful care, such as asking children before changing their nappies or wiping their noses. Children benefit from a safe and secure environment.

Babies enjoy nurturing spaces to explore materials, look at books and develop their mobility. Older children investigate activities and create their own ideas in lively playrooms and the g...arden. Staff help all children to learn about keeping safe, such as road safety on outings and using tools safely in forest school sessions.

The provider delivers a well-planned curriculum. This has a focus on fostering the skills children need to develop in preparation for their future learning. Staff are clear of what they want children to learn and provide experiences to help them achieve well.

They have high expectations of children, such as encouraging babies to feed themselves and find their water bottles, toddlers to wash their hands themselves and older children to change their clothes. Children develop good resilience and confidence. They enjoy challenges and overcome problems, such as completing puzzles and constructing secure models.

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

Leaders have worked hard since the last inspection to implement many improvements to the delivery of the curriculum and staff's interactions with children. As a result, staff provide activities to help children make the progress they are capable of and nurture their interest and engagement in learning.Staff use assessments effectively to quickly identify when a child is at risk of not making the expected progress.

They work with parents to meet children's developmental needs and use any additional funding for children in order to have the most impact on their learning.Staff know the children well. They join in their play to help build further on their learning, such as introducing mathematical language in toddlers' water play.

However, in some group activities, children positioned furthest from the staff are not included as well and miss some of the learning opportunities.Children behave well. They learn to share, take turns and be kind and responsible.

Staff use successful strategies to prevent unwelcome behaviour, such as bite toys for younger children to prevent injuries.Children thoroughly enjoy imaginative play. For example, older children engage for long periods pretending to be snowflakes in the wind, squealing with delight.

They work together to create a den under the climbing frame, where they find crates to make beds and leaves and logs for a fire. They make pretend binoculars from their hands to look out for polar bears. Staff's interactions capture their imagination and social skills very well.

Staff model language well with children and provide opportunities for them to listen and follow instructions. They introduce new words to help build children's vocabulary. For example, older children learn more complex words such 'diagonal' and 'spiral' when drawing spider webs.

However, on occasions, when the rooms become noisy, the voices of some quieter children are missed. At such times, these children are not encouraged to communicate as well.Children develop good literacy skills.

For example, they draw and paint outside and make prints in the mud. Older children find out facts in books, act out stories and enjoy contributing to stories read to them. They learn to recognise and sound the letters of their name, and staff build on this when children are ready to start writing letters.

Staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities and supervise children closely. They use risk assessments and equipment to help identify and remove anything potentially harmful. For example, they use tools to assess if toys for babies are safe and pose no risk of choking.

Leaders and staff establish positive working partnerships with parents, who share very positive feedback. For example, they state that staff nurture their children, who love attending, and they appreciate the family events where they can get involved, such as bonfire night. Parents feel their views are listened to, and as a result of their feedback, they now benefit from 'weekly roundup' feedback.

Leaders foster staff development and well-being and value their contributions to making positive changes. Staff benefit from opportunities to celebrate their achievements, such as through the reward scheme and being invited to attend award nights. Staff have opportunities to enhance their skills, such as attending training to support children's health and physical development even further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the organisation of group activities to ensure all children gain from the learning opportunities ninclude the voices of quieter children more effectively to encourage their communication even further.