Voyage @ Flash Ley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery. They form close bonds with their key person and staff, who are caring and attentive. Children quickly settle into the routines of the day and display a positive attitude to learning.

They are confident and make independent choices on what they would like to do. Children enjoy the company of staff and will seek them out to play with. For example, children enjoy using their imagination in the role-play area and serve staff pretend cups of tea.

Children develop good communication and language skills. Staff engage children in meaningful conversations. They provide a narr...ative for children's play and ask good questions, giving children time to think and respond in order to share their knowledge and understanding.

Children's behaviour is good. They share, take turns and are respectful to staff and each other. Toddlers are beginning to learn how to articulate their emotions and feelings.

Staff read 'The Colour Monster' story to the children, where they link colours to different emotions. Children recall parts of the story and say, 'yellow is happy'. Children are developing in their independence and self-care, which contributes to them being ready for school.

Staff encourage children to put on their own coats before going outside to play and to pour their own drinks at mealtimes. Children engage in mealtime discussions with staff and learn about the benefits that healthy foods have on their growing bodies. They have daily opportunities to play outside in the fresh air and develop their large physical skills.

Children confidently explore the well-resourced outdoor areas. They ride on tricycles and run around freely, navigating around obstacles.

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

The manager is passionate and dedicated in providing children with the best possible start in life.

She works closely with her staff team to plan a broad curriculum that is sequenced and incorporates children's evolving interests. Staff know the children well and ensure that their next steps in learning are taken into account when planning adult-led activities, and weaved into daily learning opportunities.The manager works closely with the Reception class teacher from the adjoining school.

They work collaboratively in partnership to inform and share good practice, which helps to aid consistency and continuity in children's learning and contributes to smooth transitions.All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points. The manager and staff work in close partnership with other professionals to ensure that children's individual needs are met at the earliest opportunity.

Parent partnerships are strong. The manager and staff keep parents well informed on the progress their children are making and the care they receive. Parents attend a range of events at the nursery, including stay-and-play sessions and fundraising events.

Written feedback from parents is complimentary. They write that staff are fantastic and show genuine love and care for the children.Staff working with the youngest children create a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

Children snuggle up to staff as they look at picture books of farm animals together. Staff name the animals in the book to support children's growing vocabulary and encourage them to imitate the different sounds the animals make.Children benefit from a range of enjoyable opportunities to develop their fine motor skills.

Toddlers enthusiastically take part in a lively group activity where they squeeze, roll and flatten dough to music. This helps to strengthen the small muscles in their hands in preparation for early writing.Staff make good use of opportunities to develop children's understanding of numbers and counting.

For example, older children learn about simple sums, as they add and take away items in their play. However, staff miss opportunities to incorporate the language of weight and capacity, such as when children express a keen interest in filling and emptying containers with sand.Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about different festivals and celebrations throughout the year, such as Diwali, Easter and Christmas.

However, they do not consistently provide children with opportunities to share their own cultures and traditions and learn more about similarities and differences.Staff provide opportunities for children to problem solve and test out their ideas. For example, toddlers persevere when working out how to join pieces of train track together.

Staff provide an abundance of praise and encouragement, which helps to boost children's self-esteem and confidence in their abilities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of child protection and safeguarding.

They are aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse, including wider issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty. Staff are confident in the procedures to follow for recording and reporting concerns about the welfare of a child or the conduct of a colleague. The manager follows safer recruitment procedures to ensure the suitability of staff.

Risk assessments are carried out daily to ensure that the indoor and outdoor environments are suitable for children. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure that children are supervised and remain safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to provide more opportunities for children to build on and extend their understanding of mathematical concepts, such as weight and capacity consider ways to enhance opportunities for children to share and celebrate their cultural heritage, to enable children to gain a greater understanding of similarities and differences and support their awareness of the diverse world they live in.

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