Unicorn Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The staff at this setting genuinely care about the children in their care. They greet children with open arms and happy faces.

Staff cultivate strong, nurturing bonds with children. They promote children's well-being effectively through their warm interactions and effective care practices. This supports children's emotional development.

Children are valued and feel secure. They separate from their parents without fuss and are keen to join their friends at play.Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to introduce and develop a suitably ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum.

They provide exciting lea...rning experiences designed to build on children's knowledge and skills in all areas of their learning. For example, staff help children in pre-school develop their phonic awareness as they make 'Silly Soup'. They encourage babies to move in different ways as they 'stomp like dinosaurs'.

Furthermore, recent changes to the learning environment have shifted the focus to allow for a more child-led approach to learning. Staff provide a wide range of activities and open-ended resources that engage children's interests. This motivates children to become independent learners as they make choices about their play.

The setting has identified some 'golden rules' based on mutual respect. These set out clear expectations and boundaries for children's behaviour. Staff encourage sharing and turn-taking from a very early age.

Staff praise good behaviour. Children are kind and polite.

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

Staff provide activities that support children's physical development effectively.

For example, they support babies to stand to help strengthen their muscles in preparation for taking their first steps. The recently redeveloped garden offers a wealth of opportunities for children to be physically active and take appropriate risks, such as negotiating the climbing wall. There are also opportunities, such as threading, that develop increasing strength and control of the small muscles used for writing.

Staff make accurate assessments of children's progress. They know what children know and can do and use this information to plan exciting activities to build on this. However, staff do not consistently identify opportunities to extend learning further.

For instance, staff ask children how many objects they have, but do not encourage children to count them. At lunchtime, young children feed themselves using suitably sized cutlery. However, when they struggle to do so, staff do not identify this as a teaching opportunity.

This means that children are not always sufficiently challenged and, as a result, do not make as much progress in their learning as they could.Staff support children to gain good communication and language skills. They interact beautifully with children, engaging them in conversations throughout the day.

Staff listen intently to children as they share their knowledge and understanding, such as when children in pre-school explain the effect of the weather on pinecones. They introduce new words, such as 'aroma' and 'delicious', that help to broaden children's vocabulary. Staff give simple explanations of actions, such as floating and sinking, that support and extend children's knowledge.

However, when they ask children questions, staff do not always give them enough time to consider their responses.Staff promote children's wider personal development effectively through a broad range of activities and experiences. They take children on regular visits into the local community and teach them about the celebrations and importance of other cultures.

This broadens children's knowledge and deepens their understanding of the world and the wider local community.Staff quickly identify children who may need extra support with their learning. They adapt their approach to help them make better progress.

For example, they use objects of reference to help children develop their understanding of routines. Staff also work in partnership with other professionals to ensure children have the support they need to make progress in their learning.Staff ensure that parents receive detailed information about their children's care and development.

Parents value the information they receive from staff about their children's development and appreciate the help they receive to continue to support this learning at home.The owner/manager is focused on continuing to improve the setting's offer to children and their families. All staff receive ongoing training to support them to carry out their roles effectively.

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: continue to provide effective support for staff to raise the levels of teaching to a consistently high standard, so that children continue to make good progress in all areas of their learning and are fully ready for the next stage consider the amount of time children are given to form their responses to questions so that they are able to share what they know and fully explain their thinking.