Unicorn Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children settle quickly and play happily in this nursery. They establish close relationships with their key person. When children need a little extra help to feel safe and secure, staff care for them with warmth and sensitivity.

This supports their emotional security.Staff have high expectations. They work skilfully to help children succeed as they play and try new activities.

For example, children carefully fill and empty containers in the water tray. They enjoy making their own Christmas tree decorations and making colourful sticky play dough. Children learn skills such as using cutlery, pouring their own water, and ...serving their food.

They benefit from learning opportunities to support their physical development. For example, toddlers show sheer delight as they join in with 'Squiggle and Wiggle' sessions. Older children use the small muscles in their hands and fingers as they use tweezers to collect pretend rubbish in the ocean they have created.

Children play well together and are encouraged to be considerate of each other. They are taught to be kind and to follow the golden rules. Staff support children to manage their emotions and sort out any disagreements quickly and calmly.

As a result, children are learning to play cooperatively and to listen to the adults and to each other.

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

The nursery has been through a period of significant change since the last inspection. The progress that the new leadership team have made in a short space of time is commendable.

Leaders' sheer determination has been instrumental in securing their high ambitions for all children. They have worked with the local authority to seek advice and guidance on how best to support them. There has been a strong emphasis on curriculum development.

The broad curriculum outlines what children need to know at different stages of development. Staff have also developed a secure understanding of safeguarding. Equally, improvements to staff supervisions mean that opportunities to meet with leaders and share information about children's care, safety and development are effective.

Children's communication and language skills are a priority for staff. Staff make sure that they speak clearly using language that the children understand. Staff working with babies regularly sing songs and comment on their play, exposing them to lots of language.

Toddlers eagerly point at the pictures in the books and begin to form simple sentences. Older children busily wash the dolls and chat confidently to staff about their bath time routines at home. This helps children to make links to their own experiences.

Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, develop their spoken vocabulary well.Mostly, staff successfully join in children's play, supporting and extending their ideas. However, during children's independent play, sometimes staff are not quick to notice when a few of them are not engaging in activities.

As a result, some children are not benefiting fully from what is on offer during these times.There are systems in place to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. If children struggle, extra support is put in place.

This ranges from working with external agencies, such as speech and language therapists, to staff providing one-to-one support. Staff support these children well, so that they can take part in all activities.Staff, on occasion, do not consider the needs of all the children.

For example, during an adult-led activity, staff question children to extend their learning. However, more confident children interrupt as they are eager to answer the questions. This results in quieter or less confident children not being as involved to share their knowledge and understanding.

The manager provides a range of training and professional development opportunities to the staff team. This helps staff to develop their knowledge and skills. Staff value the support and training that they receive from their managers.

They feel well supported and fully involved in the nursery.Parents praise the staff team and comment on how much their children enjoy attending. They comment that they have noticed a huge improvement in their children's speech and confidence.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. Recent training on safeguarding has enabled staff to understand signs and indicators that children might be at risk of harm, including from extreme views or behaviours.

Staff know the action to take should they have a concern about the conduct of a colleague or other adults in contact with children. Recruitment processes for new staff are robust. Leaders ensure the suitability of all staff working with children.

Staff use daily routines to keep children safe. For instance, they ensure that children are supervised as they eat meals and sleep.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nensure that staff are more alert and responsive to all children during their self-chosen play, so that they benefit fully from what is on offer help staff develop teaching strategies to ensure that less confident children can share their ideas during activities.