Toy Box Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enter happily and have secure emotional attachments to the caring staff. Staff kept in close contact with families during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) national lockdown. This supported children's learning and emotional well-being.

Staff shared stories, activity ideas and further extensive information through the nursery's website and social networking site. Staff recognised that some children were anxious to return. They offered tailored settling-in arrangements and parents completed a new 'All about me' document for their child.

Staff successfully focused on re-establishing the nursery routines and fostering ch...ildren's sense of security. This helped children to settle back in quickly.Children in the pre-school room show exceptional behaviour and friendships.

They are kind and respectful. They eagerly partake in challenging and stimulating activities and are more than ready for school. Children aged two years focus well and use emerging language during role play.

They create buns from dough and sing number songs, such as 'Five Currant Buns'. Children place the buns in the toy oven and exclaim how nice they smell. Babies babble and imitate staff's actions.

Babies and children respond to staff's warm praise and encouragement. They thrive and develop confidence, independence and a have a go approach. Children are safe in the nursery.

For example, staff closely supervise babies as they eat and pull themselves up on furniture.

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

Staff combine information from parents and their own observations to establish children's development on entry. They continually assess children's achievements.

Staff progress children's learning very well in most respects, including children who receive additional funding. However, staff do not provide older toddlers with the highest levels of challenge and motivation during activities or when planning for the learning environments.Staff re-assessed children's development when they returned to nursery.

They successfully targeted any gaps in children's development. The manager works tirelessly to provide children with excellent early intervention and support, including through outstanding partnerships with other professionals. Consequently, all children are included superbly and make the best possible progress.

The curriculum in the pre-school room and staff's teaching are particularly motivating and engaging. Children are engrossed in activities and show great excitement and creativity. They interpret a story about a snail and a whale using craft resources.

Children mix mud and water to make a 'pie' in the exploratory kitchen.Staff extend activities and plan first-hand experiences to reinforce and build on children's learning and memory. For example, following on from a favourite story, three- and four-year-old children capture the stages of the butterfly's life cycle through photographs.

They excitedly go on a bug hunt and learn new facts about insects through non-fiction books.Children aged under three years are, generally, developing good social skills, for instance during mealtimes and short group sessions. However, staff do not always encourage young children to give back a toy they have taken, or to pick up items they have thrown or dropped on the floor.

Children competently demonstrate the physical skills that are essential for future writing. Toddlers manoeuvre wheeled toys and two-year-old children make marks with paint using potato mashers. They run around with streamers that blow wildly in the wind and stack plastic crates, before using these as stepping stones.

Children in the pre-school room competently roll hoops and skilfully catch water, running down plastic guttering, in a bucket.Staff foster children's love of books wonderfully and children sing songs throughout the day. This supports their early language and reading skills.

Children in the pre-school room vote for the story of the month and create storyboards. They use impressive vocabulary and memory when recalling stories.Children have extensive opportunities to celebrate difference.

Children in the pre-school room select a country to celebrate 'breakfast around the world'. They learn key words and many other facts about each country and watch educational videos to expand their knowledge.Children develop a strong understanding of healthy lifestyles.

Staff use role play to reinforce messages about good hygiene. They provide water dispensers for children to freely access drinks. Children enjoy a nutritious diet, and harvest fruit and vegetables.

The dedicated and passionate manager and nursery owners consult with children, parents and staff to review practice. This results in, generally, well-targeted nursery improvement plans and training opportunities for staff.Parent feedback is highly complimentary.

Although parents are not yet entering the nursery, excellent partnerships continue. Staff additionally provide newsletters and continue to discuss children's progress through telephone consultations. Staff share special events through photographs and videos.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager has rigorous recruitment and vetting procedures for staff. Staff have a strong knowledge of the possible indicators of abuse.

They fully understand how to report any concerns, which helps to keep children protected. Staff attend regular safeguarding refresher training. The manager checks their knowledge through regular questioning.

There are rigorous procedures to minimise the risk of COVID-19 as part of staff's good risk assessments. For example, staff implement rigorous hygiene routines. Domestic staff carry out deep cleaning throughout the day and visitors complete a COVID-19 declaration document.

This helps children to stay safe. There are effective security measures to prevent unauthorised access to the nursery.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the planning of activities and learning environments in the baby room, to provide greater challenge for the older toddlers and promote their engagement and focus on learning further support staff to enhance younger children's understanding of early behavioural expectations to develop children's social skills to the highest level.

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