Upper Knapp Farm Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children benefit from a well-sequenced curriculum, which builds on their interests and prepares them for the next stage in their educational journey. They build strong relationships with their peers and the staff who care for them.

Children behave well and form early friendships. At home time, they run up to their friends and hug them goodbye. Babies exploratory skills are supported by staff, who provide them with inviting sensory experiences.

They develop their grasp and hand-to-eye coordination as they use a spoon to fill containers. Skills which will help them with self-care practices, such as feeding themselves. To...ddlers display high levels of confidence and are keen to interact with visitors.

They enjoy listening to familiar stories read aloud by staff. Toddlers experiment with a range of mark-making equipment. They use mathematical vocabulary as they describe what they have drawn.

For example, children proudly say, ' I have drawn a circle'. Pre-school children are independent learners. They display an interest in a range of books and are beginning to understand that they can be used as a source of information.

For example, as they engage in imaginative play with small dinosaur figures, children match the species to images in a book. Children listen intently as staff read out the information about their chosen dinosaur.

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

Staff support babies' early communication skills effectively.

They use care practices, such as nappy changing to talk to them and introduce key words. Following babies' interest in minibeasts, staff created a wall display next to the nappy changing table where they point and introduce the names of the minibeasts they have found under the logs in the garden.Children throughout the setting access a range of good quality toys and resources that promote development in all areas of learning.

Staff are good role models. They play alongside children and model how things work. However, baby room staff are yet to effectively consider the organisation of the environment, to make sure play opportunities are focused on supporting children's individual progress.

On occasions, babies find it hard to move around and sustain interest for periods of time as there are too many resources left out.Children's moves between rooms are well supported throughout the nursery. Following discussions with parents, children are invited to attend for a number of settling-in sessions in their new room.

This helps them to develop familiarity with the environment and members of staff. Key persons attend these sessions with children to ensure they feel safe and secure. This supports children's emotional well-being.

Overall, managers and staff share an ambitious vision for what children can achieve. They make observations of children's learning to monitor their progress towards their learning goals. This is shared with parents on an online learning journal.

However, at times, staff do not make the most effective use of observations and assessment, to plan clear and precise next steps to support children to make the best possible progress.Pre-school staff are successful in providing thoughtful learning opportunities to prepare children for the move to school. Children are completely focused on staff during small-group activities.

They sing rhymes and copy sign language demonstrated by staff. Children take turns to have a go at recognising the number on a ladybird pebble. They share their ideas with staff who encourage them to check their answer by counting the spots together.

Staff provide effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work with other settings children attend to create individual support plans. These are regularly reviewed to monitor children's progress.

When needed, referrals are made to external professionals, such as the speech and language team.The manager and her deputy are dedicated to providing high-quality care for children and their families. They operate an open door policy and offer support to staff, both personally and professionally.

Staff describe the team as 'one big family'. Parents comment on the 'reassuring nature' of the manager and value the 'safe and stimulating learning environment'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Risk assessments for all areas of the premises are used to identify and reduce hazards. This promotes the safety of children, staff, parents and any visitors to the setting. Staff regularly update their child protection and safeguarding training.

They demonstrate a secure knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse and understand the procedures to follow to report a concern about children's welfare. Staff are familiar with the setting's whistle-blowing policy. They know who to contact in the event of a concern about a fellow member of staff.

The manager implements robust recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure the suitability of staff. This is reviewed twice yearly to make sure staff remain suitable for their role.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff in the baby room to further consider the organisation of the learning environment to make sure play opportunities are meaningful and fully support children's progress strengthen children's next steps in learning to make sure they are precise enough, to support children to make the highest levels of progress.